Blue glass and paste "seaweed" brooch and earrings, Schiaparelli, USA, 1950s.
View Similar Items
Blue glass and paste "seaweed" brooch and earrings, Schiaparelli, USA, 1950s.
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Weight:86 g
- Dimensions:Width: 2.5 in (63.5 mm)Depth: 0.5 in (12.7 mm)Length: 3.5 in (88.9 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1954
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The above 'weight' is for both the brooch and earrings together. the brooch on its own weighs 62 grams, the earrings on their own weigh 24 grams.
- Seller Location:Greyabbey, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: v30921708153136283fs
Elsa Schiaparelli
From her signature color Shocking Pink to her collaborations with Surrealist artists, the boldly original Elsa Schiaparelli transformed fashion with her haute couture house from the late 1920s to the early ’50s. Experimenting with elements like trompe l’oeil images and colorful visible zippers, the Italian designer instilled a provocative avant-garde artistry in her clothing and accessories, including those created with Salvador Dalí, such as the lobster dress and a hat shaped like a shoe.
Born in Rome, Schiaparelli was a rebellious child who grew up among the city’s intellectual elite. She had a voracious appetite for reading and became interested in ancient cultures, astronomy and world religions. Schiaparelli studied philosophy at the University of Rome, and after publishing a collection of poems on love and sensuality that so mortified her conservative parents that they tried, unsuccessfully, to confine her to a Swiss convent, she left for London.
A quick marriage to Count Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor brought her to New York, but it would be in Paris following her divorce that Schiaparelli embraced her artistic passions. She moved to the French capital city in 1922 with her young daughter and happened to meet master couturier Paul Poiret, who loaned the stylish Schiaparelli his clothes, sparking her own fashion interests.
Schiaparelli opened her modest atelier in Paris and debuted her first collection of knitwear in 1927, and later that year, she designed a black-and-white pullover hand-knit wool sweater featuring a trompe l’oeil bowknot that captured the attention of the fashion world. Vogue called it “an artistic masterpiece.” The success led to her moving her house to 21 Place Vendôme in 1935 where thousands of garments were produced each year.
Schiaparelli’s knitwear collections were later accompanied by revolutionary swimsuits and other clothing and accessories. Her inventive designs would include culottes — a radical statement in the 1930s when women still could cause a scandal by wearing pants — as well as printed fabric, such as the 1938 Tears dress with a print designed by Dalí making it appear as if the evening gown had been savagely ripped.
Schiaparelli was among the first designers to use materials like rayon and Lurex as well as explore wrap dresses and transparent raincoats. She also introduced unisex fragrances and brought her artistic partnerships into jewelry, such as bronze brooches made with Alberto Giacometti and fur-lined bracelets with Méret Oppenheim. As she wrote in her 1954 autobiography Shocking Life, women should “dare to be different.”
Despite her acclaim, her shop closed in 1954 after a tumultuous time during World War II. By then, fashion had moved on with Christian Dior's New Look, and the closure of Schiaparelli's business coincided with a comeback mounted by Coco Chanel, her archrival in the early days.
In 2006, Italian businessman Diego Della Valle acquired the brand and its archives, and the Maison Schiaparelli was reopened in 2012, back at 21 Place Vendôme where Schiaparelli's fearless and enduring work began.
Find vintage Elsa Schiaparelli hats, evening dresses and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Deep ruby paste 'cruxiform' brooch and earrings, Warner, USA, 1950sBy WarnerLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA glorious deep ruby red gives this eye catching brooch and earrings its charm and allure. Set in black lacquered metal with teardop and round pastes, in a very three dimensional design, this is a very wearable set, either together or individually. Only the brooch is signed. Founded by Joseph Warner...Category
Vintage 1950s American Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsBase Metal
- Gilt metal, fuschia and amethyst paste brooch/earrings, Christian Dior, c. 1954By Mitchel Maer for Christian DiorLocated in Greyabbey, County DownAn unusual brooch and earrings from Christian Dior by Mitchel Maer, made of articulated twisted gilt rings of various sizes, highlighted with amethyst, light amethyst and fuschia pas...Category
Vintage 1950s British Brooches
MaterialsGilt Metal
- A mirrored glass and talousel brooch and earrings, Line Vautrin, France, 1960sBy Line VautrinLocated in Greyabbey, County DownThis Talousel and mirrored glass brooch and earrings is a fine example of the later work of Line Vautrin from the 1960s. A most beautiful and unusual colour, each piece is truly artisan, made and assembled by hand. The delicate mirrored and resin elements are stacked or jumbled, on top of each other, to create an utterly delightful and original design, highly typical of this magical designer. An astounding artist, the truly individual Line Vautrin was named a ‘poetess in metal’ by Vogue magazine in 1948, starting her career in such prestigious surroundings, making buttons for Schiaparelli. She went on create some of the most extraordinary and individual jewellery, artists’ jewellery in very poetic and clever designs. These included necklace, brooches, bracelets and earrings, as well as boxes and other objets de vertu...Category
Vintage 1960s French Brooches
MaterialsBase Metal
- Soft blue glass cabuchon and large pearl five point earrings, French, 1960sLocated in Greyabbey, County DownA striking pair of 'cruxiform earrings, of excellent quality and weight. Very much in the style of Chanel of this period (1960s) , they sadly are not signed, but they bear all the qu...Category
Vintage 1960s French Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- 'WW; sapphire, light sapphire poured glass, and pearl 3 row drop earrings, 2018Located in Greyabbey, County DownFrom the ‘Harlequin' range in the WW collection, a contemporary limited edition, designed in London,handmade in Paris - these chic and elegant, articulated, signed drop earrings in c...Category
2010s French Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Graduated topaz to citrine poured glass and gilt articulated drop earringsBy WW CollectionLocated in Greyabbey, County DownChic and elegant articulated drop earrings in cascading hues of transparent topaz to citrine, from the WW collection, a contemporary limited edition, hand made in Paris. They have ...Category
Early 2000s French Drop Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage 1960s Diamond Turquoise Poire SuiteBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in New York, NYVAN CLEEF & ARPELS Diamond Turquoise Poire Suite in 18k Yellow and White Gold. A mid-century demi-parure by Van Cleef & Arpels including a brooch with complimentary on-the-ear clips....Category
Vintage 1960s French Brooches
MaterialsDiamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold
- Van Cleef & Arpels Diamond Coral Gold SuiteBy Van Cleef & ArpelsLocated in New York, NYA 1980's Van Cleef & Arpels brooch & earring suite, the brooch designed as a curving branch with pave-set diamond leaves and white & pink carved coral flowers. The ear clips are si...Category
Vintage 1980s French Brooches
MaterialsCoral, White Diamond, 18k Gold
- Torino Gold Floral Clip On Earrings and Pin Brooch, Retro Costume Jewelry SetLocated in Milford, DEA pair of retro clips and a pin by Torino, featuring exquisite floral motifs in gold. Gold-plated. Marks / hallmarks / etc: Torino on pin Pin: 2 x 1.3 inches Earrings: 1 inch eachCategory
20th Century Retro Clip-on Earrings
MaterialsGold Plate, Yellow Gold
$204 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Tara Golden Scarab Cabochon Cluster Clip in Earrings and Pin BroochBy Delizza & ElsterLocated in Milford, DEA colorful pin brooch and clip-on earring set by Tara, a mid-1900s costume jewelry designer. Each piece features colorful carved resin scarabs prong-set in a gold-tone metal setting....Category
20th Century Retro Brooches
MaterialsGold Plate
$292 Sale Price20% OffFree Shipping - Charming Dog Cameo SuiteLocated in New York, NYCharming and super unusual hand carved dog, shell cameo suite from the 1930's. Wonderful subject matter shows a pair of hounds carved into the shell brooch...Category
Vintage 1930s American Brooches
Materials14k Gold
- DuJay Enamel and Pearl Spray SetBy DuJay JewelryLocated in New York, NYAmazing collectors quality DuJay Enamel and Pearl Spray Set from the 1930's. Beautiful design with pink paste ovals set with faux pearls in swirl of pave stones hand set in rhodium. Matching clip...Category
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Brooches
MaterialsRhodium, Enamel
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
You Saw It at the Met Ball. Here’s What Camp Fashion Is Really About
This year's Costume Institute exhibition is all about embracing the eccentric.
The Met’s Latest Blockbuster Tells a Powerful Story through 230 Jewels
A captivating show at the Manhattan museum explores how jewelry has ornamented the body through the millennia — and redefines it as high art.