Paris Haute Couture Week: Chanel and Schiaparelli forget battle lines to lead French fashion
It’s been decades since the two fashion houses were in direct competition, but Chanel and Schiaparelli have once again shown why they define French haute couture
The fashion rivalry between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli, during the years between the two world wars, has been well documented. Schiaparelli, the Italian couturier, renowned for her wearable art, was one of the most prominent figures in fashion. In her heyday, she was widely seen as bolder and more innovative than Chanel – and indeed most other designers of that era.
However, unlike Chanel, Schiaparelli’s star waned in the post-war years, and her house went bankrupt and closed its doors in 1954.
From fashion death: Schiaparelli resurrected to ranks of Paris haute couture houses
Today, that rivalry is ancient history. Chanel is now in the hands of Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most powerful and influential names in fashion, while the recently revived house of Schiaparelli is in the early days of re-establishing its reputation. Nevertheless, the two define what is true French haute couture, as a source of craft and boundless creativity.
At the end of Tuesday’s Chanel show, Lagerfeld, who recreated the Eiffel Tower for his set, was awarded the city’s highest honour – the Médaille Grand Vermeil de la Ville – by the mayor of Paris. Coco would surely have been proud, and Schiaparelli not a little bit jealous.
Chanel is rooted in tailoring, with so much of the autumn/winter 2017 show featuring grey tweeds (some twinkling in the sunlight) in long lean proportions, or with belled skirts and jackets with cropped sleeves over longer sleeves.