Shocking Life

The Autobiography of Elsa Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:V & A Publishing

Published:7th Aug '18

Should be back in stock very soon

Shocking Life cover

Part of a stunningly rejacketed series of fashion autobiographies, this charts Elsa Schiaparelli's rise to fame through a combination of creative flair and business acumen, describing an extraordinary life with clarity and wit.

Schiaparelli's fascinating autobiography charts her rise from resident of a rat-infested apartment to designer to the stars.Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) was one of the leading fashion designers of the 1920s and 1930s with a flair for the unusual. The first to use shoulder pads, animal print and the inventor of shocking pink, Schiaparelli collaborated with artists including Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti and Salvador Dali, to create extraordinary garments such as the Dali Lobster Dress. Schiaparelli had an affluent clientele, from Katherine Hepburn to Marlene Dietrich, who embraced her outrageous but elegant designs. She designed aviator Amy Johnson's wardrobe for her solo flight to Cape Town in 1936, the culottes for tennis champion Lily d'Alvarez that outraged the lawn tennis establishment, and her clothes appeared in more than 30 films including Every Day's a Holiday with Mae West and Moulin Rouge. Schiaparelli's fascinating autobiography charts her rise from resident of a rat-infested apartment to designer to the stars.

"There's no better way to understand Daniel Roseberry's work for the French maison than looking at the novel-esque life of its founder Elsa Schiaparelli.", Eleonora dal Bosco, 1 Granary, January 3rd 2022

ISBN: 9781851779598

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

211 pages