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1930s Schiaparelli Baretti GalalithRoseMotifFuchsiaGarland CordTiedBrassNecklace

Name: 1930s Schiaparelli Baretti GalalithRoseMotifFuchsiaGarland CordTiedBrassNecklace
Brand: Elsa Schiaparelli
Price: 6970 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

With 1930s findings in the distinct highly-textural and unusual-mixed-media style of French parurier Lina Baretti (1899-1994), who was a frequent designer of unsigned one-of-a-kind costume jewelry and decorative buttons for Parisian couturier Elsa Schiaparelli ((1890-1973), this unique adjustable silk-cord-fastening multi-pendant heavy garland necklace features dozens of densely dangling 0.75-inch-diameter shiny marbled violet-fuchsia rose-shaped galalith charms and contrasting smaller smooth reflective brass balls that are hand-wired to a centered brass linked chain. The rest of the necklace is finely textured with petal-like stamped brass accents that cap both ends of each matte fibrous twisted cord. Two additional matching button-like galalith pendants are wired to the upper brass caps to dangle near the neck when worn. Contributing to identification of this necklace, Baretti's adjustable-length textile-fastening necklaces often featured a simplified flora motif with over-the-top pendants (such as pine cones) and were finely textured like embroidery or intricately assembled like cannetille. More so, in the 1930s Schiaparelli was known for embracing the use of plastic decoration, along with traditional materials in more surprising or colorful ways. We suspect this necklace was made between 1937-1939 when both the rose motif and unique plastic decorations are prolific in Schiaparelli fashions, and while Baretti designed an abundance of her couture jewelry and buttons for a handful of those seasonally-themed collections. From this period, TheMet museum has many Schiaparelli rose-themed plastic-decorated acquisitions, while its 1938 evening coat in ecru silk has plastic buttons that seem to match our necklace (see our photo). For this colorful multi-textured mixed-materials necklace, the rose design in the style of Baretti was likely realized by the Parisian workshop of Louis Rousselet, who produced custom-made decorative galalith, metal and glass findings for leading fashion designers since 1920. In a way similar to Baretti's otherwise characteristic tightly-wrapped textural decoration, the silk cords are handcrafted to result in a complimentary color to the fuchsia charms that subtly echos the tone of the brass findings. Undyed blonde cording was wrapped with orange thread before they were twisted to create two-tone functional ropes to tie the necklace. In the 2010-published hardcover book by Patrick Mauriers, titled Lina Baretti Parures, page 83 features a photo of a similarly constructed rope necklace in two tones of twisted golden wire wrapped with black silk-velvet ribbon. More closely resembling the colorful flower-head motif, unusual mixed-media, and fastening style of our necklace, the photo spread on pages 60-61 with a huge bright-yellow raffia-textured pendant-- which Baretti designed for Elsa Schiaparelli shortly before the fashion designer retired--provides a closeup of its woven cords that, like our necklace, enable a knot or bow to secure it at the length desired by the wearer. For over 60 years since at least 1930, Corsica-born Baretti was commissioned by multiple Parisian couturiers, notably including Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and Cristobal Balenciaga, to create unprecedented costume jewelry to accessorize the clothing ensembles of their clients. She continued to evolve her favored textural materials beyond reflective metal, silk, glass and crystal--such as feathers, plaid-wool fabric, suede and cork--to create what she called "bijoux fantaisies". For more unsigned couture creations designed by Baretti in the 1930s for Schiaparelli and Chanel, please see our other listings.

Creator:

Elsa Schiaparelli

Metal:

Brass

Weight:

114 g

Dimensions:

Width: 1.5 in (38.1 mm)Length: 34 in (863.6 mm)

Style:

Artisan

Place of Origin:

France

Period:

1930-1939

Date of Manufacture:

1930s

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use.

Seller Location:

Chicago, IL

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU3244222117912

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Shop All Elsa Schiaparelli

Elsa Schiaparelli

From her signature color Shocking Pink to her collaborations with Surrealist artists, the boldly original Elsa Schiaparelli transformed fashion with her haute couture house from the late 1920s to the early ’50s. Experimenting with elements like trompe l’oeil images and colorful visible zippers, the Italian designer instilled a provocative avant-garde artistry in her clothing and accessories, including those created with Salvador Dalí, such as the lobster dress and a hat shaped like a shoe.

Born in Rome, Schiaparelli was a rebellious child who grew up among the city’s intellectual elite. She had a voracious appetite for reading and became interested in ancient cultures, astronomy and world religions. Schiaparelli studied philosophy at the University of Rome, and after publishing a collection of poems on love and sensuality that so mortified her conservative parents that they tried, unsuccessfully, to confine her to a Swiss convent, she left for London.

A quick marriage to Count Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor brought her to New York, but it would be in Paris following her divorce that Schiaparelli embraced her artistic passions. She moved to the French capital city in 1922 with her young daughter and happened to meet master couturier Paul Poiret, who loaned the stylish Schiaparelli his clothes, sparking her own fashion interests.

Schiaparelli opened her modest atelier in Paris and debuted her first collection of knitwear in 1927, and later that year, she designed a black-and-white pullover hand-knit wool sweater featuring a trompe l’oeil bowknot that captured the attention of the fashion world. Vogue called it “an artistic masterpiece.” The success led to her moving her house to 21 Place Vendôme in 1935 where thousands of garments were produced each year.

Schiaparelli’s knitwear collections were later accompanied by revolutionary swimsuits and other clothing and accessories. Her inventive designs would include culottes — a radical statement in the 1930s when women still could cause a scandal by wearing pants — as well as printed fabric, such as the 1938 Tears dress with a print designed by Dalí making it appear as if the evening gown had been savagely ripped.

Schiaparelli was among the first designers to use materials like rayon and Lurex as well as explore wrap dresses and transparent raincoats. She also introduced unisex fragrances and brought her artistic partnerships into jewelry, such as bronze brooches made with Alberto Giacometti and fur-lined bracelets with Méret Oppenheim. As she wrote in her 1954 autobiography Shocking Life, women should “dare to be different.”

Despite her acclaim, her shop closed in 1954 after a tumultuous time during World War II. By then, fashion had moved on with Christian Dior's New Look, and the closure of Schiaparelli's business coincided with a comeback mounted by Coco Chanel, her archrival in the early days.

In 2006, Italian businessman Diego Della Valle acquired the brand and its archives, and the Maison Schiaparelli was reopened in 2012, back at 21 Place Vendôme where Schiaparelli's fearless and enduring work began.

Find vintage Elsa Schiaparelli hats, evening dresses and other clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.