ELSA SCHIAPARELLI/7

Schiaparelli, together with Chanel, was one of the first stylists to understand that prêt-à-porter, with its standard sizes which could be mass-produced, would be fashion’s winning combination. Completely overturning well-established concepts on how one must dress, she designed evening raincoats, glass dresses, fuchsia capes with large golden suns embroidered on the back; dresses with aphorisms by Jean Cocteau. Salvador Dali inspired a suit with very small boxes for pockets. She is responsible for the spread of the zipper, far more convenient than the rows of small buttons which were used to close women’s dresses. These are the names of her collections: the first was Stop, Look and Listen, followed by The butterflies, Musical instruments and Astrology. Her most famous collection, Circus, has jugglers, clowns, ice-cream cones, elephants and trapeze artists to highlight the flair and vitality of the circus.