Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli (Parents: Celestino Schiaparelli, an orientalist scholar, and Maria-Luisa de Dominicis; Spouse: Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor; Child: Maria Luisa Yvonne Radha “Gogo” Schiaparelli) was a visionary fashion designer who broke the rules of high fashion by merging couture with the dreamlike, subversive spirit of the Surrealist art movement. Born into an intellectual aristocratic family in Rome, she possessed a flair for the unconventional from childhood, often finding beauty in what others considered strange.

After moving to Paris in the 1920s, she became deeply embedded in the artistic circles of the time, befriending figures like Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, and most significantly, Salvador Dalí. Schiaparelli began her career in 1927 with a line of knitwear, most famously a sweater featuring an oversized trompe l’oeil bow that appeared to be knitted into the fabric. This was an instant sensation, establishing her reputation for witty, intellectually playful design.

Unlike her contemporaries who focused on classic elegance, Schiaparelli used fashion as a canvas for the bizarre. She introduced “Shocking Pink”—a vibrant, intense magenta—as her signature color, challenging the subdued palettes of the era. Her collections were defined by collaborations with Surrealist artists; she created pieces such as the iconic Lobster Dress and the Shoe Hat in partnership with Dalí, and the Skeleton Dress with Jean Cocteau. She was the first to use visible zippers as decorative elements and to experiment with synthetic materials like plastic and acrylic in haute couture.

Her salon, located at 21 Place Vendôme, was a hub of creative experimentation. She viewed clothing as architecture and theatre, designing garments that were meant to provoke conversation and challenge societal norms. Despite the disruption of her business during World War II, which forced her to relocate briefly to the United States, her influence remained profound. After closing her house in 1954, she turned her attention to her autobiography, Shocking Life. Today, she is remembered as the designer who proved that fashion could be a form of high art, effectively bridging the divide between the Parisian couture atelier and the gallery space of the Surrealists.

Active in others filds : Perfumery (Creator of the iconic fragrance Shocking), Costume Design for film, Interior Design, Fine Arts Writing.