Schiaparelli Exotic Feather Dome Hat Made in Italy c 1950
View Similar Items
Schiaparelli Exotic Feather Dome Hat Made in Italy c 1950
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Material Notes:Designed with genuine bird feathers with a felt wool base
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:University City, MO
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU736554302
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.
- Yves Saint Laurent Stylish Wool Knit Hat c 1970By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in University City, MOYves Saint Laurent Stylish wool knit hat c 1970 The chic designer hat is constructed with color block fuzzy wool knit bands The fuzzy gray / black wool ...Category
1970s French Hats
$175 Sale Price28% Off - Dramatic Bes Ben Pinwheel Hat with Shaved Feathers. 1950's.Located in University City, MOIncredibly rare Bes Ben pinwheel hat. A spiral of shaved black feathers radiate from a central off-white silk camellia with subtle hints of pink and green underneath. There are more feathers at the front and sides than at the back. It is designed to be worn on the top of the head so can fit any size. It secures with with two small combs plus has a cute elastic chin strap that can be worn or tucked up inside the hat if preferred. 13.5 inches wide. 13 inches back to front. Designed by Benjamin B. Greenfield for his legendary company Bes Ben. Known as Chicago's "Mad-Hatter" Greenfield designed some of the wittiest, wildest, most surreal hats known to millinery. Bes Ben hats...Category
1950s American Hats
$595 Sale Price25% Off - Saks Fifth Avenue Crisp White Raffia Summer Hat c 1970By Saks Fifth AvenueLocated in University City, MOSaks Fifth Avenue Crisp white raffia summer hat c 1970 The stylish retro hat is designed with a delicate thin white grosgrain ribbon tied in a crisp bow Makes a very chic summer o...Category
1970s Unknown Hats
- Avant Garde Metallic Snakeskin Turban c 1960Located in University City, MOAvant-garde Metallic snakeskin turban c 1960 The unique turban is designed with bands of exotic metallic snakeskin The snakeskin bands range from gold to pewter tone metallic ...Category
1960s Unknown Hats
$145 Sale Price25% Off - Yves Saint Laurent Chic Mod Leather Hat Circa 1970By Yves Saint LaurentLocated in University City, MOYves Saint Laurent Chic mod leather hat c 1970s The stylish designer hat is constructed with supple bone color leather Accented with a subtle wide grosg...Category
1970s French Hats
- Hermes Paris Black Wool Leather Trim Hat Labeled Motsch Chapeaux Pour HermesBy HermèsLocated in University City, MOHermes Paris Black felt wool leather trim hat labeled Motsch Chapeaux Pour Hermes Size 56 Small The stylish black felt wool hat is juxtaposed with brown leather border trim Makes ...Category
1990s French Hats
- Rare Vintage 60's CHRISTIE Couture Silk Scarf HatLocated in Georgetown, MERare Vintage 60's CHRISTIE Couture Blue & Turquoise Silk Scarf Hat! Very Jackie O! These Christie pieces are very hard to find and I was only ab...Category
1960s Hats
- Rare Vintage Chanel Runway PVC Wide Brimmed HatBy Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, ChanelLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLThe ultimate in accessories making luxury craftsmanship. The Iconic House of Chanel always provides us with timeless and classic pieces. This beautiful hat takes timeless creation to a new level of sophistication and charm. Made from the finest materials that you would expect from the Chanel House. This rare runway hat...Category
Early 2000s German Hats
- Beautiful 1970s Navy Felt Vintage HatLocated in COLLINGWOOD, AUBeautiful 1970s Navy Felt Vintage Beautiful 1970s Vintage Hat. Blue felt with feature white vinyl ribbon and bow. Interior finished with petersham ribbon. In great vintage conditi...Category
1970s Australian Hats
- Chanel White Hair Clip Bow Accessory Vintage 90sBy Karl Lagerfeld for ChanelLocated in 'S-HERTOGENBOSCH, NLThis very Rare Vintage Collectors Item, a Handmade Chanel Hairclip Bow, was probably gifted to VIPS at a Chanel Runway in the early 90s. VIP g...Category
1990s French Hats
$324 Sale Price25% Off - Ralph Lauren hat chapka MBy Ralph Lauren Purple LabelLocated in Rubiera, RERalph Lauren Collection Black CHAPKA Wool, angora and cashmere Trim: 100% coyote Size MM Made in Canada Fur provenance Canada Excellent conditionCategory
Early 2000s Canadian Hats
- Kapital LEGS Mini SKIRTS Forever Truck Hat Burgandy / BeigeBy KapitalLocated in Bear, DEKapital LEGS Mini SKIRTS Forever Truck Hat Burgandy / Beige Brand new Sold out Kapital truckerCategory
2010s Hats
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.