Elsa Schiaparelli

Surrealist fashion designer who revolutionized 20th-century couture through artistic collaboration

Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) merged art and fashion through her 1930s-40s collaborations with Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. Her groundbreaking designs included:

• Tear Dress (1938) with trompe-l'œil rips
• Lobster Dress (1937) featuring Dalí's painting
• First visible zippers in haute couture

Schiaparelli's shocking pink became her trademark color, inspiring later designers like Vivienne Westwood. She pioneered ready-to-wear concepts and celebrity endorsements, dressing icons from Mae West to Wallis Simpson.

Explore her legacy at the revived Schiaparelli House where modern designers continue her surrealist tradition.