Today is the last day for the Elsa Schiaparelli exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art before it moves to the MusÈe de la Mode in Paris. Schiaparelli may not be widely known today, but from the late 1920's through 1954 she was a top couturier and rival to Coco Chanel. Her designs were practical and forward-thinking (in 1931 she developed a divided skirt for female tennis players), artsy and edgy (she collaborated with Salvador Dali to design a printed pattern that resembled torn animal flesh).
In what may be the first example of mixing technology and couture fashion, Schiaparelli placed music boxes into bags, belts, and hats to entertain guests during a 1939 fashion show.
