Dress

Elsa Schiaparelli

spring 1938 · wool · Costume Institute

Schiaparelli was known to embellish her simple silhouettes with provocative textiles, such as this subtly glimmering dress fabric from spring 1938. The metallicized effect is accomplished by weaving one light-reflective thread with a matte thread. The frizzy texture of the yarns is also unusual and adds an additional textural element to the textile. The plastic zippers used are a classic Schiaparelli detail. Here she has boldly used two different colors, brown on one side, black on the other, to humorously add interest. The welt seaming on the bodice hints at her trompe l'oeil bow sweaters from her first collection in 1927. The seaming is also a predecessor of the seams on the Surrealism-inspired "skeleton" dress from her summer 1938 collection. In this example, they remind the viewer of a spindly, yet fashionable, web capturing the wearer.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

spring 1938

Medium

wool

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 Millicent Huttleston Rogers, 1951