Oh So Shocking - Schiaparelli By Design Quiz

Answer: The fabric began to unravel.

Elsa's childhood has been described as colourful. She did many things to deliberately shock her parents and the fabric wrapping was just another of her wilful adventures. It did however give a tiny glimpse into the future where she would extend her daring to her fashion creations.

Answer: A black sweater

Elsa saw a style of hand knitted sweater that did not stretch. She found a local Armenian craftswoman who could produce such a garment and added a white collar and a bow tie fastened to the back. When she wore it, she immediately attracted the attention of a New York fashion buyer who placed a large order.

Answer: All of these

Her sporting range was very much in demand as the clothes were practical and fitted well. Her small rented studio at 4 Rue de la Paix in Paris did good business. It was during her "Pour Le Sport" phase that her designs began appearing in Vogue.

Answer: Buttons

Schiaparelli's buttons were truly amazing. Imagination knew no bounds as she created ladybugs, fruit, drums and astrological symbols to use as buttons and fasteners. If she did use plain round buttons, they would be placed on the garment in graduating sizes.

Answer: All of these

It would seem women were prepared to wear anything on their heads if it was designed by Elsa. Other hat designs included inkpots and telephones. Her quirkiness extended to similar decorations on the fabrics themselves and to accessories such as belts and umbrellas. The Hen Nest hat was actually featured on the cover of Vogue in 1938.

Answer: A skeleton

The skeleton dress was just another of Elsa's deliciously mischievous creations. Her ideas, while groundbreaking at the time, have obviously gained even more credence through the decades. A fashion collection in the early 21st Century by the house of Clements-Ribeiro featured a similar skeleton design.

Answer: Salvador Dali

Schiaparelli's famous Lobster Dress featured a large Dali lobster on the high skirt of the dress worked on an organdy field. Sprigs of parsley surround the huge crustacean. Dali also designed the famous tear illusion fabric for Elsa - fabric that made the dress look for all the world as though it had been torn in many places.

The artist was also the inspiration for Schiaparelli's famous "Desk Suit" with actual pop out drawers for pockets.

Answer: Mae West

West's hour glass figure was the basis for the bottle designed for "Shocking" - Elsa's signature perfume. Launched in 1937 the perfume was the first of many Schiaparelli would release. The choice of the name "Shocking" was inevitable. Imitation is flattery it is said. Over 50 years later an ardent and self confessed Schiap fan, Jean-Paul Gaultier, released a perfume in a similar curvy bottle.

Answer: Pink

Shocking pink is a colour still used and recognised widely today by most people. While it was not a new colour, it varied in description between a magenta and fuschia pink and Elsa made it her own. She was buried in an antique style robe of shocking pink when she died in 1973.

Answer: All of these

Elsa created shoulder pads to accent the lines of her coats and jackets. Animal prints figured largely in many of her collections and the colour matching of zippers highlighted her insistence on total excellence in garment production.
Schiaparelli also pioneered the concept of the fashion show and the use of the catwalk to present new collections. She turned fashion from a series of trends into an art form.