Today, the name of this woman does not sound too often. Only a limited circle of people involved in fashion knows who Elsa Schiaparelli is. In the 20-30s of the last century, the name of the famous master of haute couture did not leave the lips of European women. Each collection of the fashion designer caused general delight and admiration.
Young Elsa
In the ancestral palace of Corsini, which is not far from the capital of Italy - Rome, the future star of world fashion was born. On September 10, 1890, a girl appeared in the family of the director of the Royal Library of Italy. Her parents decided to name her Elsa. From an early age, the girl was surrounded by the love and care of her parents.
When Elsa Schiaparelli grew up, the young fashionista's favorite pastime was looking at book illustrations in her father's library. In general, books in the Schiaparelli family played a big role. My father spent all his free time behind numismatic publications, being a passionate collector of old coins. According to unconfirmed reports, he had the honorexchange coins with the King of Italy himself.
Elsa Schiaparelli: biography and ancestral roots
Elsa's mother was born in M alta, where her great-grandfather was sent by the British Consul. There are a lot of interesting personalities in the family who formed the elite of that time. The grandfather of the future fashion star on the maternal side, leaving five children, went to Egypt to establish trade relations with local industrialists.
Soon, having an outstanding talent for seducing women's hearts, he married the daughter of a we althy local merchant and rose to the rank of adviser to the king of Egypt. The famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli is the uncle, brother of Elsa's father. There is a legend that, having seen the moles on his niece's cheek, located in the form of the Big Dipper, he considered this a good sign and predicted a great future for the girl. However, Elsa Schiaparelli (see photo below) did not stand out for her beauty, which she regretted all her life.
Beginning of adult life
Remaining an exemplary daughter, the girl was brought up in strictness. The father did not allow young Elsa any excesses. Cavaliers who began to show attention to the young Italian were instantly rejected by her father. The girl had to concentrate all her success on her studies.
Only in 1914 did Elsa manage to break free from the shackles of her parent. At the invitation of an old friend, Elsa Schiaparelli leaves her father's house for the first time and goes to London, where she was offered a place as a governess. On the way to a new job, the girl dida stopover in the capital of France where she met a college classmate who invited a young Italian woman to a ball.
Due to lack of funds, the girl hastily built herself an evening dress. To a dark blue crepe de chine dress bought at the Galeries Lafayette, she attached a piece of orange silk, and built a simple block on her head. There was no time to sew the pieces of clothing together, so all the pieces of clothing were pinned together.
The extravagant outfit of the Italian girl aroused sincere interest among the local public. Soon after the next w altz round, the entire chic set crumbled on the spot. The girl left the party in tears under the puzzled looks of the guests of the holiday.
London life of a future designer
Having reached the capital of Great Britain, Elsa Schiaparelli took up her duties as a governess. The girl did not have any particular difficulties in raising the master's children, so there was a lot of time for her personal life.
The craze of Europe at that time was the study of Theosophy, an occult movement for the mystical knowledge of God. Elsa decided to keep up with fashion and signed up for lectures by Count William de Wendt de Kerlor. After another visit to the lecture hall, a thematic dispute ensued between the lecturer and the girl.
The conversation dragged on until the morning, after which they were engaged. Only after the marriage did the daughter notify her parents of the marriage.
Family life of a girl fromRome
The young couple arranged their life together in a rented apartment in the suburbs of London. From the first days, family life did not work out. The husband did not have a stable source of livelihood, and therefore the couple moved to Nice, where his parents lived. Trying to somehow improve her financial situation, Elsa Skia goes alone to Monte Carlo to try her luck on the green cloth of local casinos. Returning without a penny in her pocket, the Roman woman promises herself not to do this business anymore. Hoping to change something in their destiny, the couple decide to go overseas.
Life in New York was different from the usual European way of life. William plunged into the ocean of entertainment. Novels with rich American women, among whom was Isadora Duncan, made her husband forget about the purpose of their trip to America. Debts for staying at the hotel grew every month, but he did not care. He continued to hang out in local high-end restaurants, giving waiters generous tips. The husband appeared in the house less and less, and the news that Elsa was expecting a baby, he met with indifference.
This is how steel is tempered
Yvonne - so the young mother named her daughter. After leaving the maternity hospital, Elsa was forced to look for a new shelter for herself and her newborn child. By that time, the owner of the hotel where they lived with William, deprived them of a room for debts. The husband was not interested in the life of his child, six years later the man will die under the wheels of a car, while in a drunken stupor.
Yvonne took her first steps inbasket tied to a fire escape. A small room in a cheap hotel was at the very top, in the turret of an architectural structure. In such conditions, mother and little daughter lived for two years. Elsa worked odd jobs to feed the child and pay the rent. When the girl was one and a half years old, the mother discovered her daughter's unnatural gait.
After a visit to the doctor, he was diagnosed with infantile paralysis. In desperation, future designer Elsa Schiaparelli rushes from one doctor to another in the hope of helping her daughter. In one of the clinics, the woman met Gabrielle Picabia, the wife of the French abstract artist F. Picabia. A woman offered to sell Elsa Skia a batch of collectible clothes from Paris.
Return to France
On the advice of doctors, the future fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli returns to France, where she enrolls her daughter in a boarding school for children with musculoskeletal disorders in Lausanne. A chance helped Elsa to join the world of fashion. At one of the parties, she met an Armenian woman in an elegant hand-knitted sweater. Ordering the same outfit for herself and going out, Elsa impressed the French women.
So, soon the Armenian diaspora began to supply Elsa with knitted clothes for sale to local fashionistas. Inspired by success, Elsa began to think about her own development of fashionable clothes. Having good drawing skills, the future designer rents an attic at 4, Mira Street, where a sign will soon appearElsa Schiaparelli. The clothing collections from the new Parisian fashion designer have become very popular with women in the capital.
Chronology of further events
- 1930. An idea for antique silhouettes with draped and high waist elements.
- 1935. As a guest of honor, the French designer opens the Fashion House in Moscow.
- 1935. Opening his own boutique in Paris.
- 1936. In the fashion world, the color of pink fuchsia, the idea of which was embodied by Schiaparelli, has become popular.
- 1938. A collection united by the theme of the circus is presented in Paris, where all decorative elements were embroidered with glass beads.
In the same year, an amazing tandem was born - Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli. The parsley-flavoured lobster dress made a splash in the fashion world. Bessie Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, purchased this piece after the show.
- 1940. The designer leaves occupied Paris and emigrates to the USA.
- 1946. Upon his return to Europe, Schiaparelli launches a new line of perfumes "King Sun". The design of the bottle is based on the sketches of an old friend, Salvador Dali.
- 1947. A new name appears on the Olympus of world fashion - Christian Dior. Hard times are coming for Elsa Skia, gradually the interest in the surreal trend in fashion is losing its relevance.
- 1954. Elsa Schiaparelli presents her latest collection and announces the closure of the Fashion House.
After leaving the catwalk, for almost twenty years, Elsa was engaged inraising their granddaughters - the daughters of Yvonne - Marisa and Bury. After buying herself a home in Tunisia, Elsa Skia reminisced and wrote a book, My Shocking Life.
Elsa Schiaparelli: quotes from a past life
- "In difficult times, fashion always gets outrageous."
- "If you can't see your copies, it means you're standing still."
- "A dress has no life of its own when worn."
- "A woman should choose her toilets alone or accompanied by a man."
- "It's better to buy a little, and only the most expensive".
- "A woman should pay her own bills".
Elsa Schiaparelli passed away on November 13, 1973.
