Clothing style

By: Elsa Schiaparelli

Date: 1927

Source: The Schiaparelli Sweater. In Schiaparelli, Elsa. Shocking Life. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1954, 33.

About the Designer: Elsa Schiaparelli (1896–1973) was born in Rome as a French citizen of Italian, Scottish, and Egyptian descent. Convent-educated, she studied languages and philosophy; a volume of her poetry was published when she was a teenager. In 1919, Schiaparelli moved to New York City with her husband, who subsequently abandoned her while she was pregnant. Schiaparelli had to reinvent herself in order to survive and raise her daughter. From forsaken wife and penniless foreigner, she became "Schiap," a noted fashion designer. From 1920 to 1921, Schiaparelli remained in the United States translating film scripts for Hollywood and working as a freelance writer. She became part of a circle of artists that included...