Evening belt

Elsa Schiaparelli

ca. 1938 · plastic (cellulose acetate), metal · Costume Institute

Schiaparelli often used her accessories 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. Here, she uses a bubbled plastic studded with pink painted stars. The celestial realm and astronomy were favorite themes of hers, and was present in many collections. There is another example in the Brooklyn Museum collection, also owned by the fashionable Millicent Rogers, in a different color (see 2009.300.3135).

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

ca. 1938

Medium

plastic (cellulose acetate), metal

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