Vintage Elsa Schiaparelli 1950s Multicoloured Feather Hat Unisex Italy
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Capri, IT
1950s Schiaparelli Multicoloured feather hat Multicoloured feather totally made in italy
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.
| Average Sold Price |
| $1,376 |
| Related Designers |
Vintage Elsa Schiaparelli 1950s Multicoloured Feather Hat Unisex Italy
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Capri, IT
1950s Schiaparelli Multicoloured feather hat Multicoloured feather totally made in italy
Schiaparelli Vintage Navy Wool Cardigan Circa 1960s Beaded Polka Dots
By Schiaparelli, Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
A navy fine-knit wool cardigan labeled “Styled By Schiaparelli Paris,” circa late 1950s–early 1960s. Elsa Schiaparelli closed her Paris couture house in 1954; pieces carrying the “St...
Schiaparelli Talleyrand Silhouette Revival Stovepipe Hat
By Elsa Schiaparelli, Schiaparelli
Located in New York, NY
Schiaparelli's 1945 Talleyrand Silhouette revival stove pipe hat is a later 1950's interpretation of her earlier design. When Schiaparelli returned to Paris, she presented her first...
Rare Surrealist Schiaparelli Figural Cat Lingerie Bag
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in New York, NY
Rare and unusual figural Surrealist Elsa Schiaparelli lingerie bag. This amusing, rare Schiaparelli figural cat lingerie bag is made of bright pink acetate, with "Shocking" Pink ribbon accents and long pink raffia fringe. With a white plush snout and hand cut felt eyes eyebrows and mouth. Excellent Condition. Signed, Zipper Entry on back. Length 18" x Wide 9". 1950's. Schiaparelli, "I gave to pink, the nerve of the red, a neon pink, an unreal pink, Shocking Pink". Yves Saint Laurent: Schiaparelli's pink was "an aggressive, brawling, warrior pink” Elsa Schiaparelli's "Shocking" Pink was a color which derived from a 17.27 carat rose colored Cartier diamond known as the Tete de Belier, belonging to her friend and client, Daisy Fellowes. Shocking Pink was used for the eponymous perfume "Shocking", which was launched in 1937. The packaging was designed by artist Leonor Fini and the bottle was based on Mae West's curvaceous figure. Her first shoe-hat, designed for her autumn 1937 collection, had a Shocking Pink heel. Salvador Dali loved...
1950s Vintage Elsa Schiaparelli Black Hat with Fuchsia Bow, Unisex
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Capri, IT
1950s Schiaparelli Black with fucsia bow Hat in perfect conditions for its age can be work in many ways a really statement of elegance totally made in italy
Schiaparelli Surreal Shocking Pink Petit Coeur Guest Soaps
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in New York, NY
Schiaparelli guest soaps shaped as bon bon hearts in a candy box, a salute to Schiaparelli's surrealist wit. 1950's USA. Excellent condition. L9", W 5" I gave to pink, the nerve of the red, a neon pink, an unreal pink, Shocking Pink" Yves Saint Laurent: Schiaparelli's pink was "an aggressive, brawling, warrior pink” Elsa Schiaparelli's "Shocking" Pink was a color which derived from a 17.27 carat rose colored Cartier diamond known as the Tete de Belier, belonging to her friend and client, Daisy Fellowes. Shocking Pink was used for the eponymous perfume "Shocking", which was launched in 1937. The packaging was designed by artist Leonor Fini and the bottle was based on Mae West's curvaceous figure. Her first shoe-hat, designed for her autumn 1937 collection, had a Shocking Pink heel. Salvador Dali loved the color so much he used it for one of his own works, “an enormous stuffed bear...
Schiaparelli Mink Shawl Shrug Vintage 1950s
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Wallkill, NY
Yummy soft Mink Shrug from Elsa Schiaparelli The lining is covered in Elsa's name Lining in great condition a few tiny flea bits no closure, slit pockets The fur does have some w...
$6,245
Size: 21-23 inch diameter above ears
Couture Elsa Schiaparelli Paris MakerSigned Fur Felt Ribbon Cloche Hat c1934
By Elsa Schiaparelli
Located in Chicago, IL
While sleek cloche hats were the rage in Art-Deco "flapper" fashion, this fur felt hat was commissioned by Parisian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli and hand-crafted by an Irish milliner ...
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Period | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| $1,376 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $300-$4,750 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
This year's Costume Institute exhibition is all about embracing the eccentric.
A captivating show at the Manhattan museum explores how jewelry has ornamented the body through the millennia — and redefines it as high art.