An Elsa Schiaparelli Woolen Embroidered Couture Evening Coat - France Circa 1939
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: Equivalent french size 36/38 (EU)
- Style:1938/1940 (Of the Period)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Excellent condition and color.
- Seller Location:Toulon, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU63336048331
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Toulon, France
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
- Moroccan Kaftan In Black Satin Brocaded With Golden Blades - Circa 1950-60Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1950-1960 Morocco Beautiful Moroccan ceremonial Kaftan in black satin brocaded with golden blades with a design of chrysanthemum flowers. Ample coat with bell buttons embroid...Category
1960s Moroccan Burnous
- A British Black Satin Burnous/Evening Cape Circa 1920/1940Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1920/1940 England Beautiful evening cape or oriental Burnous in Duchesse silk satin black labelled Bradley 1870, Court Dressmaker, Chepstow Place, Bayswater, London W. Large ...Category
1920s English Capes
- Wool Coat Dress by Julien MacDonald for Givenchy Couture - Fall Winter 2003By Julien Macdonald, GivenchyLocated in Toulon, FRFall Winter 2003 Collection France Masterful black wool coat dress (look 14) by Julien MacDonald for Givenchy in 2003. Inspired by 18th century coats, the bottom is made of double black faille fabric covered with a wool felt with large black embroidered perforations. Tubular three-quarter sleeves, wide theatrical folded collar and coat crossing closed in front by hooks. Two side slits allow a felt belt to be passed through to curve the coat in front while freeing the volume at the back ending in a train, in the manner of the French Dresses! Black taffeta lining. No defects. Very good condition of color and conservation. Dimensions: Equivalent size France 36-38. Front height 163 cm, back height with train 206 cm, shoulders 40 cm, chest 90 cm, waist 76-80 cm, sleeves 46 cm, hips 86-90 cm. Givenchy is part of one of the most famous French fashion house. Hubert de Givenchy, who worked with Elsa Schiaparelli, founded it in 1952. An admirer of Cristobal Balenciaga, he set up shop next to his master friend on Avenue Georges V in Paris in 1969. Hubert de Givenchy represented French chic throughout the world. Several institutions will celebrate his creations including The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 1982 and the Palais Gallièra in Paris in 1991. He retired in 1995 to be replaced by young British designers including John Galliano...Category
Early 2000s French Coats and Outerwear
- A Rare Couture Evening Kaftan By Madeleine Chéruit Boulanger Circa 1920/30Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1920/1930 French Haute Couture Rare CollectibleHaute Couture coat or kaftan of evening / interior labelled by Chéruit Wormser and Boulanger, 21 place Vendôme Paris. Black woo...Category
1920s French Caftans
- A Satin Embroidered Evening Kimono with palm trees and parrots France Circa 1930Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1920 -1930 France Cream satin kimono for the evening or inside, lined with absinthe green satin and embroidered with a polychromatic decoration in exotic style. Beautiful flo...Category
1920s French Opera Coats
- A Berber Djellaba in Dyed Cochineal Embroidered Wool - North Africa Circa 1900Located in Toulon, FRCirca 1880- 1900 South Tunisia Rare Berber Djellaba or Djebba that I bought in Matmata at the doors of the desert and dating from the end of the 19th century. Sheep wool background woven on handloom and dyed from cochineal red to brick colour with colour variations. Traditional floche silk embroidery on the open collar, shoulders and sleeve opening with matching tassels. Small pink woolen bias on the rubbing parts. Plastron with very nice arabic-andalusian graphics. The 19th century North African pieces...Category
1890s Tunisian Caftans
- Norma Kamali Avant-Garde Faux Fur ShawlBy Stetson, Norma KamaliLocated in Scottsdale, AZNorma Kamali is a pioneer in the fashion industry. According to her website, in the 1970's she created the sleeping bag coat on a camping trip that i...Category
1980s American Shawls
- Gianni Versace black quilted down leather dress coat and belt, fw 1992By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace, black quilted down leather dress coat trimmed with astrakhan with gilt embellishments, paired with black leather croc embossed belt with gold medusa coins and studs. ...Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- Dolce & Gabbana black silk moiré embellished evening coat, fw 1997By Dolce & GabbanaLocated in London, GB▪ Dolce & Gabbana showpiece evening coat ▪ Sold by One of a Kind Archive ▪ Constructed from black silk moiré ▪ Embellished with hundreds of red crystal sto...Category
1990s Italian Coats and Outerwear
- 1990s Geoffrey Beene Vintage Burgundy Alpaca Coat W Matching Strapless DressBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Portland, ORThis is an absolutely stunning vintage Geoffrey Beene monochromatic dress and coat ensemble in a gorgeous burgundy wool and alpaca fabric. We love vintage Geoffrey Beene pieces and a...Category
1990s American Coats and Outerwear
- 1990s Geoffrey Beene Vintage Black Alpaca Dress and Coat EnsembleBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Portland, ORThis is a two piece vintage black alpaca dress and coat ensemble from Geoffrey Beene from the Fall 1999 collection. This outfit includes a midi length bla...Category
1990s American Evening Dresses and Gowns
- Giorgio Armani Fashion Long Coat in Black SilkBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Milano, ITVery elegant black silk coat designed by the great stylist Giorgio Armani in the 1990s, of fine Italian manufacture. ORIGINAL LABEL. The coat has a straight, geometric cut. It has a ...Category
1990s Italian Coats
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.