Elsa Schiaparelli at Musée des Arts Décoratifs – Surrealism is in Her Veins | Words by Nafiseh Soolari

1. Horst P Horst — Vogue USA March 15, 1937

2. Elsa Schiaparelli — Evening gown Summer 1939 Silk Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs / Christophe Dellière

3. Jean Clément — Necklace 1938 Golden metal mounted on fabric Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs / Jean Tholance © Adagp, Paris, 2022

4. Leonor Fini & Fernand Guéry-Colas — Shocking perfume bottle 1937 Crystal and glass © Schiaparelli Archives © Adagp, Paris, 2022

5. George Platt Lynes — Salvador Dalí 1939 Photograph © Estate of George Platt Lynes

6. Marcel Vertès — Schiaparelli, 21 place Vendôme 1953 Gluing and painting on panel © Schiaparelli Archives

7. Elsa Schiaparelli — Evening coat Winter 1938-1939 Wool, silk and china Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs / Christophe Dellière

8. Catalogue Shocking: The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli — 288 pages 550 illustrations 24 x 30,5 cm Hardcover 55 € ISBN 978-2-38314-000-9 Éditions des Arts Décoratifs

9. Teddy Piaz — Portrait of Elsa Schiaparelli Circa 1935 Silver print © Archives Schiaparelli

10. Elsa Schiaparelli — Collection Drawing Winter 1938-1939 Drawing Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs

11. Daniel Roseberry — Look 25 Fall-Winter 2021-2022 Photograph, © Maison Schiaparelli

12. Elsa Schiaparelli — Details of an evening jacket Spring 1947 Embroidered silk Musée des Arts décoratifs © Valérie Belin

13. Elsa Schiaparelli — Details of the Butterfly Jacket Summer 1937, Wool Musée des Arts décoratifs © Valérie Belin

CANNES, FRANCE – JULY 11: Bella Hadid attends the “Tre Piani (Three Floors)” screening during the 74th annual Cannes Film Festival on July 11, 2021 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

15. Daniel Roseberry — Look 02 Fall-Winter 2021-2022 Photograph, © Maison Schiaparelli

16. Daniel Roseberry — Look 06 Fall-Winter 2021-2022 Photograph, © Maison Schiaparelli

17. Salvador Dalí — Cover for Minotaure 1936 Oil painting and collage on cardboard Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs

18. Elsa Schiaparelli — Collection drawing Summer 1939 Drawing Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs

19. Alberto Giacometti — Button 1937 Golden bronze Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs

20. Elsa Schiaparelli — Boléro Summer 1938 Silk satin, trimmings, laces silk chenille embroidery and rhinestones by Lesage Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs

21. Elsa Schiaparelli — Evening Coat Fall 1937 Rayon knit, Silk embroidery and flowers by Lesage © Philadelphia Museum of Art

22.François Kollar — Madame Schiaparelli 1938 Photograph, © RMN – Gestion droit d’auteur François Kollar, Charenton-le- Pont, Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie © Ministère de la Culture – Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / François Kollar

Nepo, Arik, Elsa Shiaparelli dansant avec un homme portant une jacquette Shiaparelli lors d’un bal de Fath à Corbeille en 1951 (Titre factice), 1951. Tirage gélatino-argentique développé avec crayon graphite. Palais Galliera, musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.

24. Daniel Roseberry — Look 10 Spring-Summer 2022 Photograph, © Maison Schiaparelli

25. Elsa Schiaparelli — Details of the Bolero Circus Summer 1938 Silk embroidery, laces, tiles, pearls and mirrors by Lesage Musée des Arts décoratifs © Valérie Belin

26. Elsa Schiaparelli — Bolero Circus Summer 1938 Silk embroidery, laces, tiles, pearls and mirrors by Lesage Musée des Arts décoratifs © Les Arts Décoratifs / Christophe Dellière

Dear Shaded Viewers,

It is a time when conversations are for and about women, we are at a new crossroads, a time when we can dream it all, and be it all more than ever.

To dream bigger we need to know and see it’s presence, because without awareness how can we know what to dream? To the ones that dream of creativity, an unlimited horizon, Elsa Schiaparelli is for you.

Schiaparelli was a multifaceted being one who grew more into her expression as the times changed; referring to herself as an “inspired” seamstress. As an Italian couturière she was always leading towards grander deliveries as she crossed paths with writers, astrologist, photographers, designers and painters—the great artists and artisans of her time. It’s what you get a taste of when you enter the exhibit.

Enter the room of sketches, it takes a minute but the colors invite you in, a rough draft of her forming in your mind—

The twinkling lights highlighting her initial creations, but it’s the note of Paul Poiret, her mentor, that really brings her into her power,

You see the shift and the rough draft suddenly has music,

A symphony of influences beyond Europe,

She wades into her interest in the Art Deco period, the ensembles further highlighting its glory, magnificent Jean Dunand & Madame Agnés giving sculptural refinement and decorative effects to her creations, imagine big accentuated sleeves and a hat you can see from miles away

Picasso’s presentation was a gem of a moment—his rendition of a Schiaparelli jacket on Nusch Eluard, the stark contrast between green and yellow presented in only a way Picasso could create, is a joy for the eyes. Jean Cocteau, Meret Oppenheim, Elsa Triolet are just a few of the names presented as examples of an exploration of her inspirations through her friendships with artists.

Known for trompe l’oeil, she is known for embellishing a silhouette with padding to accentuate the effect of her creations. You see the Man Ray capture her, the rough draft shapes into a surrealism theme and Salvador Dalí’s lobster dress comes into view. A cage of perfumes and sounds of birds showcase her marketing prowess. A nod to the launch of her 1937 fragrance famously titled Shockingestablishing the memorable shocking pink we have all come to know her for.

The second floor is a reconstruction of Schiaparelli’s couture salons and you get a sense of Jean-Michel Frank’s interior design for her along with the expansion of her reputation though silhouettes she creates with intricate embroidery, baroque references and circus playfulness. Pre-war and post-war designs are clearly visible and you wind down on her 25-year journey of avant-garde curiosity.

When you see the Marcel Vertés artwork for Schiaparelli you see the full image building an Italian in Paris romance. It’s a sweet sampling of her persona, her heritage and legacy—and it leaves you wanting more, appreciating the vast contributions she made to fashion and the spirit of the feminine.

What follows are the contemporary creations by Roseberry, a finale that salutes the vision of allure Schiaparelli focused on in her surrealist journey. Elsa was once quoted saying, “One [has] to sense the trend of history and precede it.” The world of Schiaparelli on exhibit at Musée des Arts Décoratifs delivers this statement and more than that, exudes this aesthetic by allowing the viewer to carry the memories of a surrealist painting home with them.

Later,

Nafiseh