Schiaparelli Pagan Leaf Earrings
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Dimensions:Width: 1 in (25.4 mm)Length: 3.5 in (88.9 mm)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU461946573
Elsa Schiaparelli
From her signature color Shocking Pink to her collaborations with Surrealist artists, the boldly original Elsa Schiaparelli transformed fashion 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 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: New York, NY
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Hammerman Bros. Ribbed Gold EarringsBy Hammerman BrothersLocated in New York, NYHammerman Bros. ribbed gold articulated hoop earrings in 18k gold. Heavy in weight but well distributed with sturdy earclips, 1980's USA. 37.7 dwt. Very...Category
Vintage 1980s American Dangle Earrings
Materials18k Gold
- Vintage MaisonGripoix for Chanel Emerald and Ruby Drop EarclipsBy Maison Gripoix for ChanelLocated in New York, NYAttractive vintage Gripoix for Chanel Medieval Emerald and Ruby Drop Earclips from the 1950's. 4 quadrants of hand poured emerald glass are highlighted with crystal pastes with 3 fa...Category
Vintage 1950s French Medieval Dangle Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal, Gold Plate, Bronze, Enamel
- Arts and Crafts EarringsLocated in New York, NYOversized Arts and Crafts dangle earrings with turquoise matrix glass cabochons. Handcrafted brass with clip back fittings. 3.5" x 1.5". Excellent condition. possibly South American...Category
Vintage 1940s Unknown Dangle Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Unusual Victorian Golden Snitch EarringsLocated in New York, NYHighly unusual late Victorian earrings reminiscent of golden snitches. A gutta percha sphere is trimmed with gold filled bands with gilt fox chain si...Category
Antique 1870s American Victorian Dangle Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- Art Deco Pearl Fringe EarringsLocated in New York, NYDelicate Art Deco faux pearl fringe earrings with filigree stations. Nicely detailed with both smooth and baroque faux pearls. 1920's USA. Sterling screw...Category
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Dangle Earrings
MaterialsSterling Silver
- Hobe Long Revivalist Portrait EarringsLocated in New York, NYHobe 18th Century revivalist long earring, of gilt metal,crystal and hand tinted chromo lithographs of an 18th century courtesan. Hobe et Cie was founded in Paris in 1887 by Jacq...Category
Vintage 1930s American Dangle Earrings
MaterialsGilt Metal
- FLOWEN Sterling Silver Harpa Earring in Rose GoldBy FlowenLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Sterling Silver HARPA Earring in Rose Gold belongs in FLOWEN's Specimens taxonomy. It is characteristically adapted from a multi-cellular webbed geometry and can be identified by...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
MaterialsRose Gold, Sterling Silver
- FLOWEN Sterling Silver Goda Hoop Earrings in Black Ruthenium and DiamondsBy FlowenLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe GODA Hoop Earrings are part of an innovative wearable art collection known as "Specimens" Their egg-shaped perimeter and their bottom flaring properties flow and radiate into on...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
MaterialsDiamond, Sterling Silver, Rhodium
- FLOWEN Sterling Silver Harpa Earring in Black Gommato and Yellow SapphiresBy FlowenLocated in Los Angeles, CAThe Sterling Silver HARPA Earring in Black Gommato and Yellow Sapphires belongs in FLOWEN's Specimens taxonomy. It is characteristically adapted from a multi-cellular webbed geometry...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Dangle Earrings
MaterialsYellow Sapphire, PVD-Coated, Sterling Silver
- Boulder Opal, Emerald and Lapis EarringsBy Tinguely BijouxLocated in Boston, MAGorgeous trio of custom cut Boulder Opal, sliced Emerald and Afghani Lapis Lazuli set in 18 karat gold. Handmade bezels shaped in ancient lost wax casting method. One of a kind.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
MaterialsEmerald, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, 18k Gold
- Lapis Lazuli EarringsBy Tinguely BijouxLocated in Boston, MAFabulous bezel set three drop Lapis Lazuli earrings set in solid 18 karat gold. Handmade in ancient lost wax casting method. One of a kind.Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
MaterialsLapis Lazuli, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
- 18 Karat Gold Shield Drop EarringsBy Tinguely BijouxLocated in Boston, MAHandmade delicate kinetic gold drop earrings in solid 18 karat gold. Also available in silver.Category
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Materials18k Gold
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.