Speaker 1: Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
Speaker 1: is Womanica. This month, we're talking about trendsetters, women whose vision, style,
Speaker 1: and willingness to break barriers changed culture from what we
Speaker 1: wear to how we behave. Today, we're talking about an
Speaker 1: innovative surrealist designer who blended fashion with art. Her collections
Speaker 1: were known for their unconventional themes like insects and the
Speaker 1: human body. She even created her own color, shocking pink.
Speaker 1: Let's talk about Elsa Scaparelli. Elsa Scaparelli was born in
Speaker 1: eighteen ninety in the Corsini Palace in Rome. Growing up
Speaker 1: amidst paintings and sculptures, Elsa developed an artistic eye. Over time,
Speaker 1: she grew bored with the aristocratic life and left Rome
Speaker 1: for London and Paris. It was in Paris that Elsa
Speaker 1: began to feel alive. In her memoir, she remembered thinking
Speaker 1: this is the place where I I am going to live.
Speaker 1: During a trip to London, she met and married her husband.
Speaker 1: In nineteen twenty, Elsa gave birth to a daughter before
Speaker 1: her husband abandoned the family. Elsa took odd jobs to
Speaker 1: keep herself afloat, but she was not down on her
Speaker 1: luck for long. Paris came calling with a job offer,
Speaker 1: and Elsa took the opportunity to return to the city
Speaker 1: that had her heart. Elsa immersed herself in the Parisian
Speaker 1: Dadaist community, an avant garde art movement. They fought conformity, capitalism,
Speaker 1: and colonialism with nonsense and irrationality. Her personal contacts eventually
Speaker 1: brought her to French fashion designer Paul Poiret, who became
Speaker 1: her mentor. But it wasn't easy. Elsa's first fashion house
Speaker 1: was a flop. Despite having good reviews, her clothing didn't
Speaker 1: sell well, and she closed up shop in nineteen twenty six.
Speaker 1: She didn't give up. Just one year later, Elsa had
Speaker 1: her first international hit, a trump Lloyd Beau sweater. The
Speaker 1: black sweater featured a large white bow and white cuffs
Speaker 1: woven into the fabric. Vague called the sweater an artistic masterpiece.
Speaker 1: Elsa received multiple purchase orders for the knit, and by
Speaker 1: the end of the year she had enough interest in
Speaker 1: capital to once again open her own business. Elsa burst
Speaker 1: onto the fashion stage with a captivating force. Her designs
Speaker 1: were soon seen on a list stars like Greta Garbo
Speaker 1: Katherine Hepburn, May West, and the Duchess of Windsor Wallace Simpson.
Speaker 1: Elsa was one of the first designers to use modern
Speaker 1: fabrics like rayon, lurex, and thick velvets, even clear plastic.
Speaker 1: Her unique use of material wasn't the only thing that
Speaker 1: set her apart in the fashion world. She also made
Speaker 1: everyday pieces more practical. She designed bathing suits with built
Speaker 1: in bras and matching jackets for evening gowns. Elsa's most
Speaker 1: daring designs came when she collaborated with surrealist artists Salvador Dalis.
Speaker 1: The duo first collaborated in nineteen thirty five to create
Speaker 1: a powder comp that resembled a rotary phone dial. Two
Speaker 1: years later, they designed the sexually suggestive Lobster Dress, a
Speaker 1: white dress with a giant red lobster painted down the front.
Speaker 1: The Duchess of Windsor was photographed in the dress on
Speaker 1: her honeymoon. They also worked together on legendary pieces like
Speaker 1: the Shoe Hat, a skeleton dress, and the Terrors Dress,
Speaker 1: inspired by Dali's depictions of women with torn skin. The
Speaker 1: inspiration did not stop with Dhali. One of Elsa's collections
Speaker 1: featured insect applicats and butterfly trimmings. She paired black with
Speaker 1: striking colors, including her own creation, a bright fuchia shade
Speaker 1: she called Shocking Pink. In nineteen thirty eight, also released
Speaker 1: her most daring collections. She began with the now famous
Speaker 1: Circus collection, which featured novelty motifs like prancing horses, performing elephants, acrobats, tents,
Speaker 1: and clowns. Lea Cerque was followed by her Astrology collection,
Speaker 1: which featured the Zodiac jacket, Celestial embroideries spun across the
Speaker 1: midnight blue velvet, including her trademark design of the Big
Speaker 1: Dipper and all twelve zodiac symbols ran down the opening
Speaker 1: and neck. The piece was so coveted that it sold
Speaker 1: at auction in twenty thirteen for almost two hundred thousand dollars.
Speaker 1: She rounded out that year with a Cometia del Arte,
Speaker 1: theine show, full of harlequin prints and jingling bells. Elsa's
Speaker 1: success came to a halt at the start of World
Speaker 1: War Two. She left Paris for New York, leaving collections
Speaker 1: to be designed by her associates. While in New York,
Speaker 1: Elsa gave fashion lectures and became the first European to
Speaker 1: win the Nieman Marcus Fashion Award. After the war, Elsa
Speaker 1: moved back to Paris, but struggled to gain the same success.
Speaker 1: While still innovative, her collections failed to wow the post
Speaker 1: war audience, and Elsa shut down her design house in
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty four. That same year, Elsa published her memoir
Speaker 1: Shocking Life. Before entering retirement, She spent the rest of
Speaker 1: her life in Paris, occasionally appearing. In nineteen seventy three,
Speaker 1: Elsa suffered a stroke and spent seven weeks in a
Speaker 1: coma before passing away. She was eighty three years old.
Speaker 1: Elsa Scaparelli's innovative fashions were on display at the Philadelphia
Speaker 1: Museum of Art in two thousand and three before the
Speaker 1: brand was purchased in two thousand and seven. Today, the
Speaker 1: brand continues to create avant garde pieces that blend Elsa's
Speaker 1: surrealist roots with modern flare. Clad and Scaparelli celebrities like
Speaker 1: Beyonce and Lady Gaga have inspired a new generation of
Speaker 1: fashionistas to follow Elsa's motto, dare to be different. All month,
Speaker 1: we're talking about trendsetters. For more information, Find us on
Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan,
Speaker 1: my favorite sister and co creator. Talk to you tomorrow