Armenian refugee using a technique that combined a white understitch on a black base. A Lord and Taylor Fifth Avenue buyer placed an order for forty copies; it was hailed by American
Vogue
as an âartistic masterpieceâ. By the following year, Schiaparelli was seriously in business and had an address to match at 4 rue de la Paix, although the premises amounted to a rambling and unprepossessing garret. The words âPour le Sportâ, inscribed below her name at the entrance, made clear where her initial focus was to be. âDisplay No. 2â proved to be an inspired flow of ideas, ranging from beach costumes such as resort pyjamas (later to evolve into palazzo pyjamas) to tweed day suits. Besides the playful pieces that were already her trademark, Schiaparelli also put her energies into practical improvements, such as a swimsuit with a low back and transparent straps that allowed the shoulders to tan uniformly. The collection included beauty products and an innovative unisex perfume, named simply âSâ. Accessories, particularly scarves, caught the eye as much as clothes, with removable astrakhan and fox collars and detachable scarf collars. Her necklace scarves of 1931 were a big hit with American
Vogue
, and the tubular knitted Mad Cap of 1930 became a runaway best seller, so omnipresent that even the designer grew bored with it and withdrew it from sale.
Schiaparelliâs progress was remarkably unaffected by the Great Crash of 1929 and ensuing depression. Partly, this was because she had moved away from the ultra-exclusive milieu of haute couture customers, creating clothes that were accessible to a broader market, including middle-class Americans. One by one, a series of influential women made their way to 4 rue de la Paix, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, socialite Lady Diana Cooper, celebrated heiress Daisy Fellowes and Paris stage star Arletty. Simultaneously, the hype machine was on a roll. Although Schiaparelli described herself as shy in her autobiography,
Shocking Life
, she acknowledged that this did not extend to what she wore. In early 1930 she caused some consternation wearing a plain black crêpe de Chine evening dress that incorporated the low âsunburnâ back of 1928 and had a short jacket in contrast white crêpe de Chine with white cockâs feathers. The concept of a short jacket for evening wear evolved into the Schiaparelli bolero, a long-running highlight of her collections through the 1930s. By evening, Schiaparelliâs designs could be seductive, but by day she was on the defensive, borrowing freely from the male wardrobe to create daywear that came to be known as âhard chicâ. The year 1933 was important for her thanks to the success of her pagoda sleeve with its big epaulette, which led to a wide-shouldered look that dominated fashion through until Diorâs New Look in 1947. At its most extreme, her Skyscraper Silhouette featured wide square shoulders and narrow hips. Toned down, the emphasis was on clean, precise lines based on rigorous cut: small wonder Balenciaga was among her greatest fans. Military uniform details ran through her collections in the immediate pre-war years.
In 1935, Schiaparelli moved to 21 place Vendôme, where she opened the pioneering Schiap Boutique and enjoyed the peak of her influence, creating fantastical collections that mixed clothing and art. Perhaps the most inspired was the Circus collection of February 1938, perversely presented at a time when Europe was lurching towards war. It was promoted with an elaborate and theatrical fashion show that set a new standard for the presentation of clothes not to be matched again until the 1960s. Her preference for creating collections around a theme also kick-started a modern trend. Her boutique was renowned for its curiosities as much as its products, including an enormous stuffed bear dyed shocking pink by Salvador Dali with drawers inserted in its stomach. By
Vogue
as an âartistic masterpieceâ. By the following year, Schiaparelli was seriously in business and had an address to match at 4 rue de la Paix, although the premises amounted to a rambling and unprepossessing garret. The words âPour le Sportâ, inscribed below her name at the entrance, made clear where her initial focus was to be. âDisplay No. 2â proved to be an inspired flow of ideas, ranging from beach costumes such as resort pyjamas (later to evolve into palazzo pyjamas) to tweed day suits. Besides the playful pieces that were already her trademark, Schiaparelli also put her energies into practical improvements, such as a swimsuit with a low back and transparent straps that allowed the shoulders to tan uniformly. The collection included beauty products and an innovative unisex perfume, named simply âSâ. Accessories, particularly scarves, caught the eye as much as clothes, with removable astrakhan and fox collars and detachable scarf collars. Her necklace scarves of 1931 were a big hit with American
Vogue
, and the tubular knitted Mad Cap of 1930 became a runaway best seller, so omnipresent that even the designer grew bored with it and withdrew it from sale.
Schiaparelliâs progress was remarkably unaffected by the Great Crash of 1929 and ensuing depression. Partly, this was because she had moved away from the ultra-exclusive milieu of haute couture customers, creating clothes that were accessible to a broader market, including middle-class Americans. One by one, a series of influential women made their way to 4 rue de la Paix, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, socialite Lady Diana Cooper, celebrated heiress Daisy Fellowes and Paris stage star Arletty. Simultaneously, the hype machine was on a roll. Although Schiaparelli described herself as shy in her autobiography,
Shocking Life
, she acknowledged that this did not extend to what she wore. In early 1930 she caused some consternation wearing a plain black crêpe de Chine evening dress that incorporated the low âsunburnâ back of 1928 and had a short jacket in contrast white crêpe de Chine with white cockâs feathers. The concept of a short jacket for evening wear evolved into the Schiaparelli bolero, a long-running highlight of her collections through the 1930s. By evening, Schiaparelliâs designs could be seductive, but by day she was on the defensive, borrowing freely from the male wardrobe to create daywear that came to be known as âhard chicâ. The year 1933 was important for her thanks to the success of her pagoda sleeve with its big epaulette, which led to a wide-shouldered look that dominated fashion through until Diorâs New Look in 1947. At its most extreme, her Skyscraper Silhouette featured wide square shoulders and narrow hips. Toned down, the emphasis was on clean, precise lines based on rigorous cut: small wonder Balenciaga was among her greatest fans. Military uniform details ran through her collections in the immediate pre-war years.
In 1935, Schiaparelli moved to 21 place Vendôme, where she opened the pioneering Schiap Boutique and enjoyed the peak of her influence, creating fantastical collections that mixed clothing and art. Perhaps the most inspired was the Circus collection of February 1938, perversely presented at a time when Europe was lurching towards war. It was promoted with an elaborate and theatrical fashion show that set a new standard for the presentation of clothes not to be matched again until the 1960s. Her preference for creating collections around a theme also kick-started a modern trend. Her boutique was renowned for its curiosities as much as its products, including an enormous stuffed bear dyed shocking pink by Salvador Dali with drawers inserted in its stomach. By
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