May 2012

Fashion Divas Honoured at Costume Institute, NYC

10th May 2012 Two grand Italian fashion design divas, from totally different eras, are the subject of a fascinating exhibition at The Metropolitan of Art Costume Institute in New York City. Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada:Impossible Conversations opens today, and explores the striking affinities between these two Italian designers from distinctive fashion decades. Iconic ensembles by Schiaparelli and Prada are in the galleries, with approximately 100 designs and 40 accessories by Schiaparelli (1890-1973), dating from the late 1920’s to the early 1950’s, and Prada’s creations span the years from the late 1980’s to the present. Harold Koda, Curator in Charge, noted: “Juxtaposing the work of Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada allows us to explore how the past enlightens the present, and how the present enlivens the past.” Curator Andrew Bolton added: the connection of the historic to the modern highlights the affinities, as well as the variances, between two women who constantly subverted contemporary notions of taste, beauty, and glamour.”

Schiaparelli worked in Paris from the 1920’s until her house closed in 1954, and she was closely associated with the Surrealist movement – she collaborated with Salvador Dali on several projects. Prada, who holds a degree in political science, took over her family’s Milan-based business in 1978, and focuses on fashion that reflects the eclectic nature of Postmodernism. Both women are influential style mavens, and their designs continue to make an impact on fashion culture – and beyond. Exhibition dates: 10 May – 9 August 2012 www.metmuseum.org JG

Photo credits: Top image of Wallis Simpson in Elsa Schiaparelli, Vogue 01 June, 1937 Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s. Prada photo: Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Photograph by David Sims.