A History of Maison Schiaparelli

Following the success of rival Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli emerged in Paris as another boundary-breaking fashion designer in the time between the two world wars. As Chanel defined the classic look of a woman, Schiaparelli brought it to another dimension. 

The Schiaparelli look was embraced by the strongest starlets, including actresses Lauren Bacall, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Marlene Dietrich. Between her protruding skeleton dresses, fanciful eye motifs, and high-shoulder suits, her designs were innovative, powerful, and occasionally controversial.

Elsa Schiaparelli was a figurehead in the eras of dadaism and surrealism. These art movements produced works in a variety of mediums that depicted inter-dimensional, dreamlike visions; imagining life in another reality. 

Throughout the 1930s, Schiaparelli’s contemporaries were the likes of fine artist Salvador Dali, photographer Man Ray, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. With a slew of artistic collaborations and a rich creative imagination, Schiaparelli converged fashion and art in her work—making the two seemingly separate forms one. 

After Elsa Schiaparelli’s passing in 1973, the brand laid dormant for a number of decades until its revival in 2012. A year after returning to the famed square in Paris, The Place Vendôme, Schiaparelli also began a slow return to the modern fashion scene. In 2019, Schiaparelli’s comeback was catalyzed by new Creative Director Daniel Roseberry.

With Roseberry at the helm, Schiaparelli has been reintroduced to a new generation of the fashion world. Many heritage motifs still carried through to its modern designs, allowing Schiaparelli to flourish in fashion, art, and beyond—much like Elsa Schiaparelli herself. 

Never straying from its roots, Schiaparelli put forth a number of surreal, warped, and avant-grade designs.