The main idea for my visual concept is to design an evening gown with a twist, in that I want it to be elegant and classy yet modern. As I was conducting research for my previous blog posts, I came across a designer who was influenced by the Futurist movement - one of the avante-garde movements of the early 20th century which focused on dynamism, movement and modernity. I am talking about none other than Elsa Schiaparelli. My main aim is to focus on recreating a similar dress structure to that designed by the mentioned designer and also to be inspired by the patterns and colours she used in her designs.
"that Italian artist who makes clothes"
(Coco Chanel, n.d.)
The phrase above represents designer Coco Chanel's opinion of Elsa Schiaparelli, her fashion rival. Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Rome in 1890. Being born into an aristocratic family was probably one of the main reasons why Schiaparelli wanted to express her freedom from a very young age. Despite having its benefits, an aristocratic lifestyle wasn't one which she was too keen about. For Schiaparelli, luxury was a barrier to creativity which she wanted to express through her art. This was the main reason for her decision to move to New York City and later on to Paris.
1927 saw the initiation of her career as a designer, starting off with a collection of clothing that consisted of black sweaters adorned with a white trompe l'oeil scarf at the neck. This particular design is said to be Schiaparelli's trademark, after having been a huge success in the fashion industry and was selected to appear in French Vogue. The peak of her career was probably the time when she collaborated with Surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Together they came up with shocking creations and designs such as the Shoe Hat and the Skeleton Dress - pieces which increased Schiaparelli's popularity as a designer not only in her time but also today.
Schiaparelli is known for introducing various styles and techniques into
the history of fashion. For example, she created the revolutionary divided skirt,
and introduced zippers in colours that matched the rest of the clothing. She
was also one of the first to design accessories such as brooch-like buttons to adorn
clothes. Over time, Schiaparelli came to be associated with a particular shade
of magenta, what later on came to be known as 'Schiaparelli pink'. In her autobiography,
she explains how she once saw a Cartier diamond owned by a friend of hers which
bore that particular shade. Schiaparelli described the jewel's colour as "bright, impossible, impudent,
becoming, life-giving [...] a shocking colour, pure and undiluted."
After spending the war period in New York, Elsa Schiaparelli returned to
France, only to find that the fashion styles had changed. Her struggling to
compete with designer Christian Dior's post-war 'New Look' led the way to the
closing of her design house - the House of Schiaparelli - in 1954. Despite
this, she still remains one of the most influential and prominent figures in
the fashion industry. Elsa Schiaparelli died in 1973.
As one can note from the images above, Elsa Schiaparelli was clearly interested in designing clothes that were form-fitting and which flattered the female form. She also opts for the streamlined silhouette, and forms that created some sort of shape and fluidity. I will definitely be opting for a similar style in my design for the dress.
References:
Vogue Style File - Elsa Schiaparelli (2012) [online]. Available at <http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2012/4/18/elsa-schiaparelli-style-file> [Accessed 16th December, 2013]
Reeder, Jan. "Elsa Schiaparelli (1890–1973)" [online]. Available at <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/elsa/hd_elsa.htm> [Accessed 16th December, 2013]
Image sources:
http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O15655/cravat-jumper-elsa-schiaparelli/
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/105737?rpp=20&pg=2&ao=on&ft=elsa+schiaparelli&what=Evening+dresses&pos=23
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/105736?rpp=20&pg=2&ao=on&ft=elsa+schiaparelli&what=Evening+dresses&pos=22
http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/157803?rpp=20&pg=1&ao=on&ft=elsa+schiaparelli&what=Evening+dresses&pos=17
http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/156222?img=0
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2009.300.1168a-c
