Belt

Elsa Schiaparelli

ca. 1938 · leather, metal, pigment · 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. Leather is a commonly used material for belts. However, Schiaparelli takes the relatively uninteresting material and forms it into an artistic accessory. The scrolling stylized leaf-shaped cut out is embellished with pigment, forming the stems and veins of the leaves. Schiaparelli often looked for ways to incorporate avant-garde materials or techniques into her designs and the idea of painted leather was very experimental at that time.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

ca. 1938

Medium

leather, metal, pigment

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