1980 Arnold Scaasi Zebra Print Matelasse Brocade & Red Silk Lined Evening Jacket

1930s-styled black honeycomb net caplet with beaded beaver fur flower appliques which are backed in kid leather. Custom-made on modern netting with vintage and antique elements.

A fabulous 1980s black ruched velvet evening jacket with front snap closures and rhinestone buttons on top. 8 large beaded and sequined medallion appliqués embellish the front.

A wonderful 1980s Yves Saint Laurent quilted silver nylon cropped coat with black fox fur trim everywhere! This piece follows his Russian themed collections and is quilted in a passi...

An adorable 1960s cropped black broadtail lamb jacket with a stunning natural sable collar. Bracelet length sleeves and a button-up closure at left side. Completely lined. Size 4-6.

1980s Escada dog, gold chain and medallion print silk bomber jacket with side pockets and elastic waistband. Button down front. Quilted lining.

A Torso Creations black and white, silk satin ribbon, organza and lace tiered capelet with ruffled stand-up collar. Matching gauntlets and large bow headband...

VERSACE Mink black Fur jacket Crystal Embellishment Content: 100% Mink Lining: 100% Silk IT Size 44 - US 8 shoulders 17" armpit t...

"In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous" Elsa Schiaparelli,1930's. "Life has changed so much, A Schiaparelli was never made for the streets." Karl Lagerfeld, 1970's. 2 quotes,2 designers, 4 decades apart. 4 decades later. Although these quotes are highly debatable, especially in the context of today's high-low designer collabs and pop up retailing, iconic fashion endures. Whether now relegated to a museum exhibition, a collector's acid free box or a celebrity one nighter, these fashion artifacts from the french Haute Couture of the 1930's echo a time, pace and culture unrecognizable to most people today. Schiaparelli changed the definition of what it meant to be a designer at an important time in the evolution of the Haute Couture. Rather than simply making beautifully elegant garments (which she also did), she focused on the concepts behind the pieces. For her fashion was a fluid medium and she effortlessly blended fashion, politics and the fine arts. She was one of the most innovative and rebellious designers of the period working against what she considered the stale fashion currents of the day. She was elegant yet untrained. As a protege of Poiret, she gained entry into the world of Parisian fashion. While her rival Chanel was essentially uneducated and a “primitive” in the artistic circles in which she socialized, Schiaparelli’s impeccable social credentials as the daughter of an old and distinguished Roman family gave her a relatively easy entree into Paris society. She was a subversive, a punk, a desecrator, a collaborator, an innovator as well as the ultimate insider whose plans on design domination and creating "la zone rose" for the modern world were cut short by the advent of WWII. She was at the height of her influence and power showing 4 iconic collections in the last years of the decade. Fascinating to consider what the House of Schiaparelli could have brought forth in the following decades had the world not been swept away in turmoil at that moment. In the context of her short prewar career, few remaining masterworks have survived. The rare "moment" she created in the 30's lives on within each art piece, safelocked away within each stitch and sequin. Each design retains her spirit and legacy as a free thinking, modernist rebel who used the avantegarde as her platform in the most creative period of fashion design in the 20th Century. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rare and Important Elsa Schiaparelli Haute Couture...

Rare Schiaparelli Haute Couture Mandarin Black Quilted Faille Cape, 1951 Amazingly chic and modern quilted silk faille Haute Couture cape by Elsa Schiaparelli from the 1950's. M...

Schiaparelli Haute Couture Changeant Faille Jacket, 1938-39. "France gave me the inspiration: America gave me the approval" Elsa Schiapa...

VERSACE Actual runway sample Fall/Winter 2014 look #19 Jacket Worn by Model Leila Nda Mink fur cropped jacket with gold studs, crystals and leather fringe Content: 100% mi...

Color: Black Material: Leather Size: FR44 large Made in France Condition: Good. Very good vintage condition. Faint hairline scratches and scuffs. Light marks. Some crinkling to lea...