Fashion and surrealism
Fashion went ahead with surrealistic designs like this coat, created by the new talent who, like Bugatti, moved to Paris from Italy. We are talking about the legendary Elsa Schiaparelli. Crafted in wool and trimmed with a heat-moulded texture, this piece is a perfect example of the elegant and playful dichotomy that characterised her designs.
From a well-to-do family, Schiaparelli had great style and artistic appreciation. Always experimenting with textures and shapes, she also collaborated with the great artists of the day and dressed the likes of Wallis Simpson.
It is rumoured that an opposing view of what fashion and elegance meant earned her a feud with a well-known contemporary designer, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, with whom she now shares a room in the museum.
It should also be noted that Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the pioneers in presenting fashion shows as we know them, in which the pieces, the models and the decoration of the space collaborate to create a whole scene, so that the show ceases to be a mere fashion show and becomes a brief theatrical performance. This concept would continue to be exploited and developed until it reached its peak in the 1990s/00s.
Elsa Schiaparelli, born in Rome in 1890, was one of the most avant-garde designers of her time, known for her daring spirit and her links with the surrealist movement.
During this decade, she collaborated with artists such as Salvador Dalí, creating iconic pieces such as the shoe-hat and the lobster dress. Her groundbreaking approach, combining art and fashion, positioned Schiaparelli as a key figure in haute couture, challenging traditional aesthetics with humour, irony and sophistication.
