Belt

Elsa Schiaparelli

ca. 1938 · leather, cotton, silk, metal · 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. Using bright colors and festive tassel decoration, this belt is an example of Schiaparelli's whimsical design aesthetic. The folkloric-inspired aura of the belt is carried out in the scrollwork buckle and the braid decoration, reminiscent of Tyrolean belts.

Artist

Elsa Schiaparelli

Date

ca. 1938

Medium

leather, cotton, silk, 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 Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos, 1955