1950s Elsa Schiaparelli Watermelon Rhinestone Parure
View Similar Items
1950s Elsa Schiaparelli Watermelon Rhinestone Parure
About the Item
- Creator:
- Metal:
- Dimensions:Length: 17 in (431.8 mm)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1950s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Houston, TX
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU10321153632
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.
- Antique 19th Century Neoclassical Shell Cameo Parure Set in Original BoxLocated in New York, NYAn impressive shell cameo parure comprised of necklace, earrings (day-to-night with removable drops), brooch, and 2 bracelet panels (for stitching onto ri...Category
Antique Early 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Link Necklaces
MaterialsGold
- Antique Pearl Diamond Gold Locket NecklaceLocated in New York, NYAn English antique 18 karat gold pendant locket with diamonds. The pendant locket has 1 old mine-cut diamond with an approximate total weight of .18 carat, which is surrounded by a seed pearl-set garland. The locket is suspended from an antique 18 karat chain...Category
Antique Late 19th Century English Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold
- Micheal Bondaza 18 Karat Yellow Gold and Platinum NecklaceBy Michael BondanzaLocated in Chicago, ILBeautiful two tone necklace from Micheal Bondaza. Featuring his iconic design. The necklace is 17 inches in length, made of platinum and 18K yellow gold, and weighs 121.7 DWT (approx...Category
1990s American Modern Link Necklaces
MaterialsYellow Gold, Platinum
- Victorian Carved Bone Fob NecklaceLocated in New York, NYHand carved bone link and metal chain of crosshatched links with a carved fob commemorating the year "1902". Meant as a vest or fob chain but long enough to be worn as a necklace. 15...Category
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Link Necklaces
- Tiffany & Co. Atlas Collection Necklace 18 Karat Yellow GoldBy Tiffany & Co.Located in Chicago, ILRetired design Tiffany & Co. Atlas Collection necklace. The necklace is 17 inches in length, made of 18K yellow gold, and weighs 79.60 DWT (approx. 123.79 grams).Category
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Link Necklaces
Materials18k Gold
- Mauboussin Turquoise & Diamond NecklaceBy MauboussinLocated in New York, NYMauboussin Turquoise & Diamond Necklace An 18 karat yellow gold necklace set with a row of cabochon turquoise each framed by round cut diamon...Category
Vintage 1970s French Link Necklaces
MaterialsDiamond, Turquoise, Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k 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.