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Following its 2004 retrospective, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris is once again honoring Elsa Schiaparelli, the famous Italian seamstress and her innovative fantasy, her taste for the spec- tacle and her modernity.
More than 520 works, including 272 costumes and accessories, perfume bottles, jewelry, posters, drawings and photographs re- trace the journey of this free woman who knew how to dare by collaborating as a muse and friend with artists such as Cocteau, Dali, Man Ray and Elsa Triolet.
The exhibition highlights the strength of her style, to which the great names in couture have paid homage by openly drawing ins- piration from her iconic silhouettes such as Yves Saint Laurent and Azzedine Alaïa, John Galliano and Christian Lacroix.
Coming from an important family of the Italian aristocracy and raised in a humanist environment, Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) spent a few years in London, Nice and New York, to follow her husband whom she soon left, before settling definitely in Paris.
The most «Parisian of Italians» then met Paul Poiret who became her mentor.
In 1927, her first collection of knitted hats and sweaters decorated with knots and trompe d’oeil ties brought notoriety. A true pioneer of sportswear, she designs for the city as well as for leisure, having quickly understood that the 1920s had made the beach essential for the wealthy classes who were fans of chic sports.
In 1931, her panties caused a scandal in England and shocked the mentalities of the time.
George Platt Lynes - Salvador Dalí -1939 Photographie © Estate de George Platt Lynes