Schiaparelli, who worked in Paris from the 1920s until her house closed in 1954, was closely associated with the Surrealist movement and created such iconic pieces as the “Tear” dress, the “Shoe” hat, and the “Bug” necklace. Prada, who holds a degree in political science, took over her family’s Milan-based business in 1978, and focuses on fashion that reflects the eclectic nature of Postmodernism.  Both were born in Italy, Schiaparelli  in Rome in 1890, Ms. Prada in Milan in 1949. Both were from old, conservative families, and both went rogue early on. As a young woman Schiaparelli shocked her parents by writing sexy poems and taking a nanny job in London. Ms. Prada, a child of the 1960s, mounted the leftist political barriers with her peers.

The exhibition showcases approximately ninety designs and thirty accessories by Schiaparelli (1890–1973) from the late 1920s to the early 1950s and by Prada from the late 1980s to the present. Drawn from The Costume Institute’s collection and the Prada Archive, as well as other institutions and private collections, signature objects by both designers are arranged in seven themed galleries: “Waist Up/Waist Down,” “Ugly Chic,” “Hard Chic,” “Naïf Chic,” “The Classical Body,” “The Exotic Body,” and “The Surreal Body.”

schiaparelli and prada: impossible conversations
the metropolitan museum of art, new york
may 10th – august 19th, 2012

More information at www.metmuseum.org/impossibleconversations

TAGS: elsa schiaparelli, exhibition, Impossible Conversation, metropolitan museum of art, miuccia prada, Prada