Surrealism and Notions of Femininity Significant in Fashion Designs by Elsa Schiaparelli - Essay Example

How was Surrealism and notions of femininity significant in fashion designs by Elsa Schiaparelli?   Name      Course Tutor Date How was Surrealism and notions of femininity significant in fashion designs by Elsa Schiaparelli? Elsa Schiaparelli was a famous Italian fashion designer who lived between 1890 and 1973. She was regarded as one of the most prominent figures renowned for her fabulous eccentricity and innovations throughout her designing career. Elsa was born into a wealthy and influential family in Palazzo Corsini. She was a non-conformist through out her childhood. Her adolescent attitude could not allow her study in various catholic and protestant schools she was taken to. She at one time wrote an erotic poetic book that shocked her parents. She later on marred one of her lecturers, Count William de Wendt de Kerlor who she later divorced after getting a daughter (Gogo Schiaparelli) with him. Her fashion career started way back in Paris where she started making gowns for herself and her friends. In 1927 she launched her collection of knitwear. The business took off well and her designs did well in the market. To her, designing was an art rather than a profession. This gave her the will and the driving force to prosper in the fashion industry (White 1986). Her innovativeness in designing won her a lot of ‘firsts’ in the industry. She was the first designer to include fanciful prints of food, animals and body parts among many other unusual themes on her designs. This has made her to be remembered for introducing graphic knitwear to the whole world fashion. Moreover she was the first designer to use brightly colored zippers on her evening dresses and sportswear. She had these zippers dyed in different colors to match that of the material she used to make her garments. This was a flashy outfit that saw her rapidly rise in the fashion industry. Similarly, she used fanciful buttons on her sweaters. The buttons looked more like broaches giving her sweaters a classy look that has been impressed to date. Surrealism and notions of femininity were very significant in Elsa Schiaparelli. As stated earlier, Elsa lived 1890 and 1973. Her designs dominated between the two world wars. It was in this 1920s decade that fashions greatly transformed and entered the new modern era. Trend in both men and women changed. People got familiar with the new style of art that was developing in subconscious and non-rational significance of imagery. Women liberated themselves from constricting fashions. They began putting on modern comfortable outfits such as pants and short skirts. Similarly men adopted new trends of wearing less formal clothes like sports outfits. However many people were reluctant to some of these new trends thus drugging the whole change progress. With this new trend, there were more opportunities as the market had greatly enlarged. This opened up new door for Elsa diversify her designs. Schiaparelli made her first mark with the trompel’oeil sweater. The sweater was greatly received in the market because of the cunning like knitting. Moreover, it had a notion of femininity due to its pale bowknot, with smartly matching cuffs. These modern touch caught people’s eyes making the design an instant hit. This gave a positive impact to her growing talent. Similarly it boosted her growing business giving it a wide customer base. Despite the lack of formal training on designing and the little practical experience in dressmaking Elsa hade at that time, she set up an atelier confined to a garret. Another major impact in Schiaparelli’s designs came in 1930. With the then rising interest in sports, Elsa decided to try out on sportswear. She designed various out fits for different sports. Her major break through in sportswear came when she designed a split skirt for Lily d’Alvarez who was then the tennis champion. This gave sports especially tennis, a whole new look that is impressed to date. Elsa diversified her skills and extended into designing more glamorous clothes. The notion of femininity in her luxurious collection attracted most women. The widely liked luxurious clothing designs were the evening dressing. She incorporated fanciful buttons that came in different shapes. These trends attracted celebrities that wanted to be associated with them. This was a great contribution to her business especially in terms of cosmopolitan capitals. Moreover, she created friendship with artists and intellectuals both from New York and Paris. Schiaparelli’s designs were also influenced through association with different intellectuals and collaboration with fellow surrealists. Fashion outfits such as lobster dress are examples of this influence. The dress, which was a result of her collaboration with Dali, became the fashion icon with every woman impressing it especially in dinner parties. The dress has a large crustacean painted on the skirt by Dali who had started incorporating lobsters in his work. This made a startling contrast with the ingénue simplicity of the white gown that serves as its canvas. The dress was liked by celebrities including Wallis Simpson who was spotted severally times doing the outfit in her series of photographs. Elsa further diversifies her art with the tear dress, a slender pale blue evening gown. This also becomes a fashion icon upon its first weeks of launching. For this design, she got inspiration from Dali’s paintings (designs of trompe l'oeil rips and tears) that worked out on the dress giving it a glamorous look with its floor-length. The dress is worn with a thigh length veil. The printing gives it an illusion of torn animal flesh. Together with the tear drops printed on it, one gets impression that it was made of animal pelts. She also used some of Dali’s paintings on the gossamer fabric she used to make her generous hood. The printings give it an iconic quality attracting several people. In her Fall-Winter collection, Elsa featured sketches of a shoe hat designed by Dali. The outfit was commonly worn by Dali himself. In some of his photographs he is spotted with the hat. Other Schiaparelli’s clients that did the outfit included Franco-American editor and Daisy Fellowes, who was among her best clients. From Surrealism Elsa designed an evening coat on which she linked up with ironies of Cocteau’s poetic vision. She translated some of his poetic lines she acquired from Cocteau into images that she used on the coat. She printed them on the back of the coat putting them in two facing profile. A quick glance at them with their glowing lips, gives the perception of both being female, creating the negative shape of an urn. She further gives it a femininity notion by including a rose with the words ‘Love, you have won’ (Milbank 1985). Similarly there is an element of surrealism in her pair of low boots. On the boots she uses monkey fur from the ankle to the floor. This brings out her skill and aesthetic that relates sinister and morbid with glamour. The boots are threatening as well as amusing. The fur on the boots shows her artistic potential brought out in a very skillful way. Elsa also collaborated with fabric houses to design unusual novelty prints and unique materials. This shows that she did not only design clothing but also did other materials including book marks. She also made glass-like tunics for Rhodophane. The tunics caught severally people’s attention. Similarly, her collaboration with other designer like Christian Bérard and Jean Cocteau led to more eccentric and innovative designs like the brain hat, pocket suits and lamb-cutlet hat. These innovations incorporated rams’ heads, bumblebees and oversized buttons that were artistically fitted. Elsa is also known for her wide color knowledge. Combining black and white was her favorite. She also launched a shocking pink color that has then been identified with her, becoming the hallmark of her couture house. Through out her designs she was sensitive to color choosing the most appropriate color on every design (Cawthorne 1998). With all these examples we see Surrealism and notions of femininity largely influencing Schiaparelli’s work. In fashion, surrealism influence results into art work that tends to cause distraction from reality. It gives artists and designers an opportunity to play with familiar things and present them in a new extraordinary form. For example a designer may use drawing of a dove on his art work to represent peace. As a direction of fashion, it appeared in 1920 decade with Elsa Schiaparelli being the first designer to incorporate it in her clothing designing. With the incredible success of her new style in 1930, she became the founder of the style in fashion in later years. In all the symbols she uses clearly shows pride and the personal desire to transform herself into a lovelier person more than the one she saw in the mirror. This surrealist’s influence is clearly portrayed by her butterfly motif in her work. In some instances, some scholars have interpreted this as a symbol of metamorphosis. It also gave a notion of femininity having a flock of butterflies on a simple waltz-length pink gauze frock. In her second dress she intensified the whole butterfly idea with the dark outlines and a black net overdress extinguishing their freedom. In one way or another, she corrects her ingenuous prettiness (Steele 1997). Another example of surrealism was in her necklace. This necklace is one of her fabulous pieces. She made the necklace from early plastic with several decorations. At a glance, the necklace appears rather macabre. However she uses the brightly colored toy-like insects to give it a different look. In the end the necklace is not quite as repulsive as it could be. Moreover, the brightly colored butterflies tend to deceive and one may not readily notice that the iconic and unbelievably creepy necklace was made from mere plastic. In her Zodiac collection, Elsa Schiaparelli introduced a total new idea. She introduced a whole new imagination associating her fascination and the working of the galaxy. She indulged in designing garments with orgy printings and patterns of the galaxy. She also incorporated colors that portrayed a playful superstitious faith in lucky charms. These pieces flout notions of good taste and a flair for magical thinking. Indeed just like notions of femininity, surrealism was and will always have its own place in fashion and with these, designers extend the fascination of new collections and make a little of magic, wonder and madness in fashion. It is with this surrealism that designers are remembered for their iconic designs. A good example is Elsa Schiaparelli who, with her incredible use of surrealism transformed the fashion industry giving it a new look. Indeed she will forever be remembered for magical thinking and her iconic collection. Reference Milbank, Caroline Rennolds. 1985. Couture: The Great Designers. New York: Free Press. White Palmer. 1986. Elsa Schiaparelli. New York, Steele Valerie. 1997. Women of Fashion: Twentieth Century Designers. California: Free Press. Cawthorne Nigel. 1998. Key Moments in Fashion. London. Read More

This gave sports especially tennis, a whole new look that is impressed to date. Elsa diversified her skills and extended into designing more glamorous clothes. The notion of femininity in her luxurious collection attracted most women. The widely liked luxurious clothing designs were the evening dressing. She incorporated fanciful buttons that came in different shapes. These trends attracted celebrities that wanted to be associated with them. This was a great contribution to her business especially in terms of cosmopolitan capitals.

Moreover, she created friendship with artists and intellectuals both from New York and Paris. Schiaparelli’s designs were also influenced through association with different intellectuals and collaboration with fellow surrealists. Fashion outfits such as lobster dress are examples of this influence. The dress, which was a result of her collaboration with Dali, became the fashion icon with every woman impressing it especially in dinner parties. The dress has a large crustacean painted on the skirt by Dali who had started incorporating lobsters in his work.

This made a startling contrast with the ingénue simplicity of the white gown that serves as its canvas. The dress was liked by celebrities including Wallis Simpson who was spotted severally times doing the outfit in her series of photographs. Elsa further diversifies her art with the tear dress, a slender pale blue evening gown. This also becomes a fashion icon upon its first weeks of launching. For this design, she got inspiration from Dali’s paintings (designs of trompe l'oeil rips and tears) that worked out on the dress giving it a glamorous look with its floor-length.

The dress is worn with a thigh length veil. The printing gives it an illusion of torn animal flesh. Together with the tear drops printed on it, one gets impression that it was made of animal pelts. She also used some of Dali’s paintings on the gossamer fabric she used to make her generous hood. The printings give it an iconic quality attracting several people. In her Fall-Winter collection, Elsa featured sketches of a shoe hat designed by Dali. The outfit was commonly worn by Dali himself.

In some of his photographs he is spotted with the hat. Other Schiaparelli’s clients that did the outfit included Franco-American editor and Daisy Fellowes, who was among her best clients. From Surrealism Elsa designed an evening coat on which she linked up with ironies of Cocteau’s poetic vision. She translated some of his poetic lines she acquired from Cocteau into images that she used on the coat. She printed them on the back of the coat putting them in two facing profile. A quick glance at them with their glowing lips, gives the perception of both being female, creating the negative shape of an urn.

She further gives it a femininity notion by including a rose with the words ‘Love, you have won’ (Milbank 1985). Similarly there is an element of surrealism in her pair of low boots. On the boots she uses monkey fur from the ankle to the floor. This brings out her skill and aesthetic that relates sinister and morbid with glamour. The boots are threatening as well as amusing. The fur on the boots shows her artistic potential brought out in a very skillful way. Elsa also collaborated with fabric houses to design unusual novelty prints and unique materials.

This shows that she did not only design clothing but also did other materials including book marks. She also made glass-like tunics for Rhodophane. The tunics caught severally people’s attention. Similarly, her collaboration with other designer like Christian Bérard and Jean Cocteau led to more eccentric and innovative designs like the brain hat, pocket suits and lamb-cutlet hat. These innovations incorporated rams’ heads, bumblebees and oversized buttons that were artistically fitted. Elsa is also known for her wide color knowledge.

Combining black and white was her favorite. She also launched a shocking pink color that has then been identified with her, becoming the hallmark of her couture house.

Read More