Amazing Adornments Designer of the Month* Schiaparelli

SCHIAPARELLI BIO/HISTORY

*Revolutionary Costume Jewelry*

Owner: Elsa Schiaparelli ~ Paris, France 1930s

Elsa Schiaparelli like her competitor Coco Chanel was a fashion designer. She began her fashion career designing sweaters. Elsa was born in Rome, Italy in 1890. She moved to New York City to become a scriptwriter. Elsa loved fashion and the arts so by the time she moved to Paris in the 1920s she was more than ready to take on the world of high fashion. But not so fast, first she designed fine jewelry and then she opened her own couture house shortly thereafter.

Again, like Chanel she wanted jewelry to complete her fashion designs and to wear.

Schiaparelli was heavily influenced by the Surrealist Movement. One can see this in her fashions and her jewelry from this period. Quirky and sometimes downright bizarre, she was not afraid to do things differently. When a black dress was the uniform of the day, Elsa introduced Shocking Pink, which went on to become her signature color. Her "Shocking" line also included perfume and other cosmetics.

Aside from introducing bold color into fashion, some of her other innovations include; large shoulder pads in woman's suits and offering ready to wear clothing.
Elsa Schiaparelli moved back to New York City prior to the start of WWII and back to Paris at the end of the war. In 1949 she licensed DeRosa to make her jewelry. Elsa also set up a retail shop in New York. She sold her Paris couture operation in 1954.
The exact date that production stops is unknown, however the Schiaparelli name is still being used due to licensing agreements.

Materials and techniques included and signature looks: Shocking Pink! Unusual designs, stylized floras, chunky and irregular shaped stones.

Schiap jewels are not easy to find and they are pricey!!

HINT: Early French pieces were not signed. Sometimes the necklace and earrings in a set are marked differently. There are many fakes on the market. These can be spotted by looking at the signature. The first "I" in last her name is missing.

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