Elsa Schiaparelli and the War Experience
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Chapter 4 In the service of clothes: Elsa Schiaparelli and the war experience Annita Boyd __l.~.......................................................... __ __ ' . • f' -------- ----- - ----------------------.._... -------- Introduction Elsa Schiaparelli is renowned as 'the' imaginative couturier who wowed fashionable Parisian cafe society with her provocative and individualistic apparel during the inter-war years. Shortened to 'Schiap', her name became synonymous with Surrealism, and her creative and daring designs shocked the fashion world and challenged preconceived ideas of dressing. Schiap pioneered padded and broadened shoulders, re-emphasized the waist, and raised hemlines (and eyebrows). Coco Chanel, her contemporary and rival, referred to her as, 'that artist who makes dresses: Schiaparelli was greatly influenced by art movements of the period and collaborated with artists so that her designs revelled in colour and fantasy. Yves Saint Laurent described her invention of the now famous colour 'Shocking Pink' as an 'aggressive, brawling and warrior pink' (White 1995: 13). Utilizing the sharp lines of Cubism and dreamlike images of Salvador Dali, Schiap used the body as architecture on which to shape her clothes. Much of her work is severely structured, even at times employing Victorian features such as a bustle which drew on the much-adored clothes gf her grandmother's era. Although the severe silhouette was her staple, some of her 1930s evening wear demonstrates exi/ertise in soft draping, and her later collections employed drastically sloping shoulders, contrary to her famed severe frame. Today, Schiap is considered a master of versatility, creating not only variety across her playfully themed collections, but also within a single garment. To date, very little has been written about how Schiaparelli spent her life after the closing of her Place Vendome shop in 1954. Even less has been published on her post-war fashion, with the exception of the perfumes and accessories to which she licensed her name. The general consensus is that she was out of step with post-war sensibility, which led to the eventual failure of her career as a couturier. Broadly, this gap in commentary falls into two periods: 1945-1954 (coinciding with the Paris shop's closing, her filing for bankruptcy and the publication of her autobiography, Shocking Life); and 1955-1973 (the time of her death). This discussion will cover the extent to which war and the military influenced both Schiaparelli's designs and how they were marketed. A closer inspection of her work reveals how Schiap's wartime experiences filtered into her garments and accompanying promotional campaigns. Schiaparelli did appropriate some military design elements throughout her fashion career and these can be located in earlier work as well her post-war designs, but these elements were dispersed amongst the many other influences incorporated into her ground-breaking collections. Elsa Schiaparelli survived both the First and Second World Wars (WWI and WWII), living in Europe and New York. The outbreak of WWI began shortly after her disastrous , .I, Fashion & War in Popular Culture marriage to philosophy lecturer Count Wilhelm Wendt de Kerlor in London. Soon after, the b couple travelled to Nice, where they remained until the war was over. In 1919 they travelled to the United States, and settled in New York City. However, de Kerlor's philandering ways a worsened and he left the family not long after the birth of their daughter, Yvonne (Go go). a The family was left destitute, so Schiaparelli's survival depended on her ability to utilize the v friendships made during the voyage to America. These friendships provided introductions ti to the artistic circles of Greenwich Village, and renowned artists such as Marcel Duchamp ti and Man Ray would later have a significant creative impact on her work. In their portrayal of women, the Surrealists often used mannequins or other objects, a dehumanizing tendency E seen, for example, in Man Ray's image of a woman's back as a violin. However, as O'Mahoney e states, women artists and designers chose to participate in the Surrealist movement, since: p n Surrealism's ultimate emphasis on the examination of the inner being sanctioned a e close analysis of their own individualities, allowing their works to reveal many of the s complexities and problems inherent within gender-designated roles in society ( O'Mahoney, a in Martin 1999: 14). l s Schiaparelli's work would later reflect the playfulness of Surrealism in her infamous c 'shoe hat' as well as designing clothing that re-considered women's attire during the world I wars, as discussed below. r While in New York, Schiap's daughter Gogo was diagnosed with a walking disability. c Blanche Hayes, a rich divorcee who had befriended Schiap, convinced them to return to Paris s to seek medical treatment, and provided a free domicile (Baxter-Wright 2012). Later, Schiap would rent a small flat of her own, and meet the world's most celebrated fashion designer of the time, Paul Poiret, who showered her with beautiful clothes. In this atmosphere, Schiap made her fashion debut with her distinctive black-and-white trompe l'oeil sweater with the knitted bow. An initial order of forty sweaters and skirts from a New York buyer prompted Schiaparelli to rent a garret at Rue de la Paix, wherein she located her workshop. This precipitated the start of her new sportswear business, dressing celebrity actresses and women in high society. As the premises became too restricting, Schiap relocated to the now famous 21 Place Vend6me atelier, where she would flourish and fulfil her destiny as haute couturier. Later, the boutique at No. 21 would become a tourist destination, alongside the other iconic French landmarks (Schiaparelli 2007: 65, 66). Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian, now fully established in her credentials as a proud Parisian designer, became a French citizen. 'Hard chic' ·--~----- The sharp, 'hard chic', and rather masculine fitted look of padded shoulders, nipped-in waist and narrow hips that Schiaparelli perfected would suit high-profile customers such as Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. The look complemented their 78 • ' f' In the service of clothes body shape and their lean, angular facial features. As Bolton and Koda note, the moniker "'Hard Chic" comprises designs that reference menswear, military and service uniforms, and industrial materials and fastenings applied with deliberate severity' (2012: 22). It was a style designed in keeping with the new athleticism associated with the so-called New Woman who would now compete in the masculine public domain, for example, at the revived Olympic games. Schiap emphatically rejected the Victorian ethos of concealing the body, especially any physical 'flaws' associated with women's figures. In contrast, the 'Schiaparelli look' defended a new role for the female body - as highly active. Embellishments she added to 'hard chic' included padding, quilting, detailed Lesage embroidery, highly decorated boleros and turbans - all elements that could metaphorically protect the female body from assault. This 'hard chic' look was extended to incorporate a more military appearance, with the addition of metal buttons and clamp fastenings, epaulettes and accessories such as capes. Schiap's provocative release of the 'Wooden Soldier Silhouette' earned her the title 'carpenter of clothes' (Watt 2012). These distinctive angular lines provided strength but retained elegance. This silhouette was adopted later by Hollywood designers such as Adrian, exemplified in the 1939 film The Women (White 1995). Schiaparelli also played with other military elements, appropriating the Maginot Line blue and Foreign Legion reds (Ewing 2001: ll8), Cossack coats, and plumed headwear. Despite the fact that Schiap's design collections ceased throughout WWII, this signature military look continued to be very popular with women throughout this period. Military dress was reflected in the action-ready clothing of famous movie stars, and was also symbolically linked to a strong female population - women who supported the wartime industries at home, in hospitals and ambulance services, and in the countryside in increasing numbers. Wartime tensions in America and Europe The pared-down, even masculine Schiaparelli 'look' was copied widely across the US by local designers. Schiap was ambivalent about this practice at first, but in her later writings she reflects on it as flattery, feeling complimented that her designs had been so successful. 'The moment that people stop copying you; she held, 'it means that you are no longer any good and that you have ceased to be news' (Schiaparelli, in White 1995: 87). French purveyors ofhaute couture, however, would confront her with this popularity at the close of WWII. In 1945 Schiap was compelled to attend a meeting with representatives from the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in New York, who used this information against her. They suggested that American fashion had thrived at the expense of French couture, and that she had been instrumental in this event (White 1995). It was ironic that Schiap, who had done everything possible to promote the French clothing industry, and to continuously uphold the good name of France, even from abroad, found herself ostracized from the very group she sought to promote. 79 ' • f' Fashion & War in Popular Culture Politics again intruded during her stay in New York. Elsa Schiaparelli had been regarded with suspicion throughout WWII by the Germans, encouraged by the fact that the majority s of her shareholders were Jewish (Watt 2012: 149). Others believed she was against the French tl Resistance; then it was rumoured that she was anti-British. Finally, accusations offascism were F hurled after she (unknowingly) wore a hat made by a German milliner working in France, VI which prompted a visit by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (Schiaparelli 2007: 150; ti Watt 2012: 149). It is significant that the mere wearing of a hat could have such connotations.