The personal collection of D’Elsa Schiaparelli, entrusted to Christie’s by her granddaughter Marisa Berenson, was sold at their Paris saleroom on 23 January 2014, achieving a total of €1,683,750. In addition to couture, her collection included an array of 19th and 20th century traditional Oriental costume, among them several Chinese informal silk jackets a ceremonial vest and some Ottoman robes.
The Italian fashion designer (1890–1973) was a leading figure of Parisian society and the art world in the 1930s, a collaborator with Surrealist artists including Salvador Dalí and a rival of Coco Chanel.
Much of Schiaparelli’s own couture collection reached above the estimates; a gilet decorated with prancing horses and white pearls was inspired by her 1940 visit to the United States and exceeded the €10,000 -12,000 estimate, selling at €27,400. A mink waistcoat of her own design sold at 7,500 (estimate €2,000 -3,000), while a violet silk blouse from the Astrologie collection sold at €31,000.
