ELSA SCHIAPARELLI (1890-1973) Lot n° 25

Pink silk satin evening dress, square neckline on the front and back, sleeveless. Matching belt with gold metal buckle. Straight skirt flared at the bottom by squared skittles. Closed at the back by a large pink zip. Spring-summer 1936 Elsa SCHIAPARELLI (1890-1973) Italian, born in Rome where she began studying philosophy, Elsa Schiaparelli left to live in the United States for five years before returning to Europe with her daughter, where she settled in London and then in Paris. In 1929, she opened her first couture salon where she presented a few models to her best clients. In 1935, she moved to new premises which she had decorated by Jean-Michel Franck and for which Diego Giacometti created numerous accessories. A fashion empress Elsa Schiaparelli's influence on fashion in the 1930s was so great that many have dubbed this period (1935-1939) "the Schiaparelli years". More than a couturier, "Schiap" was during these years the interpreter of the great artistic currents that permeated her work, in particular surrealism. Bettina Ballard, former editor-in-chief of Vogue, even said: "A Schiaparelli client didn't have to worry about whether she was beautiful or not - she was a type. She was noticed everywhere she went, protected by an armor of fun conversation intelligence. Her clothes belonged to Schiaparelli more than to her - it was like borrowing someone else's chic and, with it, their confidence."