ELSA SCHIAPARELLI MERLE SECREST Book Number: 79176 Product format: Hardback Elsa Schiaparelli was much more than a dress designer, she was an integral part of the artistic movement, turning the design of women's clothing into an art form. Original, creative, her fashions were instantly recognised, decorated as they were with her special signature fancy buttons, lip-shaped trompe l'oeil pockets, detailed braiding and beading, lavish embroidery and bright colours. She dressed film stars such as Katharine Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West (whose body later influenced the shape of the perfume bottles) and the Duchess of Windsor. Schiaparelli gave us 'shocking pink', too, a colour which soon became a favourite with society ladies. Born into a wealthy Italian family, her 'Polish Count' husband proved a con-man and deserted her, but she was strong, moving to Paris with her young daughter to launch her career. During the Second World War she came under suspicion, 'If the Germans were beginning to suspect Schiaparelli's motives, the Americans were soon to follow and the French already had.' Despite everything, she bounced back after the war with new ideas and her name is still regarded as a byword for cutting edge fashion. 378pp. Colour and b/w illus. Published price: £25 Bibliophile price: £7.50