Evening belt
Elsa Schiaparelli
ca. 1938 · leather · Costume Institute
Schiaparelli often used her accessories, particularly belts, as avenues of expression for her Surrealist ideals. Buckles, clasps, decorations and belts themselves were made of unusual materials, such as plastic and plaster, and in quirky shapes that could elicit a viewer’s double-take. To pair such an off-beat accessory with a couture garment was just the kind of humorous irony Schiaparelli enjoyed incorporating into her work. A whimsical and unconventional form, this belt worn by fashion icon Millicent Rogers exhibits Schiaparelli's keen artistic flair. The unusual ombré-like coloration indicates a hand-fashioned technique. The floral vine shape of the belt carries Surrealist overtones, for when the belt is worn, it evokes an image of a vine wrapping around the body.
- Artist
- Elsa Schiaparelli
- Date
- ca. 1938
- Medium
- leather
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Costume Institute
- Credit line
- Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955
