Schiaparelliwas noted for her use of innovative textiles which were woven to resemble textures such as tree bark or crepe paper; a plush made to mimic ermine; and noveltyprintsincluding a fabric patterned withnewspaperclippings. Jun 9, 2025 ·In 1935, whenSchiaparellivisited Amsterdam, she noticed local women wearing anewspaperon their hats. The fashion idea was born and she created the firstnewspaperprintfabric.
Clothing constructed from actual paper, sometimes evennewsprint, is most often associated with the late 1960s paper dress trend and late 19th/early 20th century fancy dress costumes. This 1966-69 Wastebasket Boutique paper dress isprintedwith a collage of advertisements and phone book listings. Schiaparellioften commissionedprintsexclusively for her use, such as the 1935 press-clippingsprintwhich featured severalnewspaperarticles about her success in various languages and the French regimental flag print (see 2009.300.2405).
Starting in 1935 with theNewspaperprint, where the text of the material was realnewspaperarticles and headlines aboutSchiaparelli’s designs. This would also be the first instance ofnewspaperprintbeing used in textile design for clothing. She also produced the firstnewspaperprintfabric in 1935, way before Galliano would popularise his in the 1980s and 90s and presented collections with conceptual themes (“Pagan”, “Circus”, “Zodiac” etc.) before anyone else.
ElsaSchiaparelli, who was known for her amusingprints, outdid herself in July 1937 with a particularly clever “passion thermometer” motif that ... Decades before John Galliano made his ‘Gazette’ newsprint a de facto monogram,Schiaparellihad created aprintof collagednewspaperpages. This imaginary was born in 1935 thanks to the designerElsaSchiaparelli, who was inspired by the Danish fishermen who usednewspapersto make hats ...
...Schiaparellidreamt up some of fashion’s most buzzed-about collections (including the 1935 “Stop, Look, and Listen”newspaperprintrange and ...
