Dress
Designer
Elsa Schiaparelli
(1890 - 1973)
1937
Silk crepe
Gift of Mr. Simeon Braguin
Object number83.130.10
Butterflies, a surrealist symbol for death and metamorphosis, feature prominently on this dress from Elsa Schiaparelli’s 1937 summer collection. The phenomenon of metamorphosis was integral to Schiaparelli’s design philosophy, often used to express the idea of beauty emerging from the mundane. Her whimsical designs transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary.
DescriptionIvory silk crepe dress with black butterfly print and stylized turtleneck collar shirred at CF and back, short sleeves shaped with inverted pleat, bias cut, with slightly flared skirt and large off white plastic back neck zipperCollections
Exhibitions