Rating and value of Elsa Schiaparelli's fashion drawings

If you own a Schiaparelli drawing and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will be happy to offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your property, we will guide you towards the best possible means of obtaining the optimum price. The price of a fashion design can vary according to the year, the collection concerned, or the creation in question.

Rating and value of a Schiaparelli drawing

Elsa Schiaparelli's drawings are haute couture treasures that bear witness to the talent of the designer and the history of the house of Schiaparelli, and more broadly to the history of fashion. The price at which they sell on the art and auction markets ranges from €150 to €40,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to your drawings. In 2017, a study drawing for a dress and cape sold for €1,000, exceeding the high estimate by 40%.

Order of value from classic to most popular design

Reasons to sell a fashion design

A fashion drawing is a testimony to the history of a fashion house, and is part of the evolution of stylistic creation. They are rare pieces, at the origin of collections that have often marked the history of fashion. For a couturier, the drawing is often the starting point of the creation; the artist's vision is put down on paper for the first time. It allows the genius to take shape and be visualized, so that the garment can be born. These works in their own right are highly prized at auction and sought after by many collectors.

Schiaparelli, shocking pink a la Comedia del Arte

Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Rome in 1890, into a family of Italian artistocrats descended from the Medici family. She studied philosophy, but was placed in a convent by her family because of her erotic poetry. Around 1910, in London, she met her future husband, Wilhem Wendt de Kerlor, a count whom she separated from in the United States after he cheated on her.
She moved to Paris with little money and began designing clothes. She doesn't know how to sew and lives by reselling objects she finds in antique shops.

Schiaparelli began by creating trompe l'œil sweaters, probably inspired by the Dada artists and surrealists she frequented. They were an immediate success, with Vogue calling them masterpieces. For a short time, she worked as a stylist for Lambal. She soon moved to the Place Vendôme and worked with Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. She was one of the first to turn the garment into a veritable jewel of art, directly created in collaboration with artists, rather than a tribute like the Mondrian dress.

During the Occupation, she left for the United States, where she gave lectures entitled Clothes make the woman.

She also discovered Hubert de Givenchy, who undoubtedly shared her taste for contemporary art.

Schiaparelli's fashion shows were extremely elaborate, and fascinated the 1940s. Themes ranged from the Comedia del Arte to the juxtaposition of his show with the International Exhibition of Surrealism.

Close to many artists, some like Picasso and Man Ray dedicated a portrait to her. In the '50s, however, Christian Dior's New-Look arrived in full swing and overshadowed her. She ended her career in New York, then died in Paris, remaining forever an icon of style, provocation and elegance.

The success of Schiaparelli drawings at auction

In recent years, haute couture has experienced a golden age it has rarely known. Schiaparelli is a prime example of this appeal. Less well known than Dior or Saint Laurent, it dresses an elite with elegant, sophisticated creations, characterized by lots of black and gold. Bella Hadid's dress at the Cannes Film Festival is a case in point. Schiaparelli pieces stand out for their finesse and originality, a perfect blend of sobriety and exuberance. This creative vein still represents the house today, just look at the draped velvet dresses adorned with fawn and she-wolf heads inspired by Dante's Inferno presented at the Spring-Summer 2023 haute couture show. Schiaparelli's hand-drawn designs bear witness to this unique stylistic identity, and allow fashion lovers and collectors to plunge once again into the refined yet provocative world of the Italian designer.

Recognizing an original fashion design

A fashion drawing is a work of art in its own right. Some of them are signed, making it possible to identify the designer. It is also possible to identify an original by comparison with the designer's other productions.

Know the value of your design

If you happen to own a fashion drawing, or think you might, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using the form on our website. A member of our team of experts and chartered auctioneers will contact you promptly with an estimate of your drawing's market value, and provide you with all the relevant information. If you wish to sell your drawing, our specialists will also be on hand to offer you alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market trends.