Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973), one of the leading fashion designers of
the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, was known for her flair for the unusual. The
first designer to use shoulder pads and animal prints, and the inventor
of shocking pink, Schiaparelli collaborated with artists including Jean
Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti, and Salvador Dalí to create extraordinary
garments such as the Dalí Lobster Dress. Schiaparelli had an affluent
clientele, from Katharine Hepburn to Marlene Dietrich, who embraced her
outrageous but elegant designs. She designed aviator Amy Johnson's
wardrobe for her solo flight to Cape Town in 1936 and the culottes for
tennis champion Lilí Álvarez that outraged the lawn tennis
establishment, and her clothes appeared in more than 30 films, including
Every Day's a Holiday with Mae West and Moulin Rouge. Schiaparelli's
fascinating autobiography charts her rise from resident of a
rat-infested apartment to designer to the stars.