Lot 91

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI (1890-1973) 'That Italian who makes clothes' her deadly rival Chanel called Elsa Schiaparelli. But the intellectual high priestess of 'Shocking' was far more than that; she was a conduit between the worlds of fashion and surrealist art in the l930's. As the block buster exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York has demonstrated so well, Schiaparelli collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dali in a completely modern and very challenging way. They designed prints for her, made her elaborate buttons and never-equalled hats. Sensitive to the high-pitched hum of the zeitgeist, the baroque-motif jacket in this sale (another version of which is owned by the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute) is inspired by the ironic baroque revival espoused as a reaction to modernism by mid l930's designers such as Emilio Terry and major clients such as Carlos de Bestegui. This jacket is one in a series featuring various baroque flourishes, another version of which was owned by the Duchess of Windsor.

AN ELSA SCHIAPARELLI BLACK VELVET EVENING JACKET

1939

Details

AN ELSA SCHIAPARELLI BLACK VELVET EVENING JACKET
1939
Embroidered with mirror-work baroque panels to the front and trimmed with twisted gold foil foliate scrolling embroidery
Labelled in side seam on white grosgrain, Printemps 1939, 21 place Vendome, Paris, indistinctly inscribed 'Mrs Ward'(?) and tagged '65887'

Provenance

Mrs L Gurschner

Lot Essay

This jacket belonged to Mrs Herbert Gurschner, a Schiaparelli client par excellence. Sold with this lot is a copy of a photograph of the second Mrs Herbert Gurschner wearing the jacket to the opening night of 'Medea' in London, 30 September 1948. See also Lot 90, a dinner ensemble from the same wardrobe, which may also be attributable to Schiaparelli.

Compare page 38, Fashion & Surrealism, Richard Martin, Thames & Hudson, 1987, where an identical model, a gift to the Metropolitan Museum of Art from the Baroness Philippe de Rotschild is illustrated.

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