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 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 drawing can vary depending on the year, the collection concerned, or the creation in question.

Rating and value of a Schiaparelli drawing

Elsa Schiaparelli 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 a classic drawing to the most sought-after

Reasons to sell a fashion drawing

A fashion drawingis a testimony to the history of a fashion house, part of the evolution of stylistic creation. These 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,from rose shocking to Comedia del Arte

Elsa Schiaparelli was born in Rome in 1890, into a family of Italian artistocrats descended from the Medici. 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 moves to Paris with little money and starts designing clothes. She couldn't sew and lived by reselling objects she'd found in antique shops.

Schiaparelli began by creating trompe l'oeil sweaters, probably inspired by the Dada artists and surrealists she frequented. Success was immediate, with Vogue calling them masterpieces. For a short time, she worked as a stylist for Lambal. She soon moved to Place Vendôme and collaborated with Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. She was one of the first to turn clothing into a true gem of art, made directly in collaboration with artists, not a tribute like the Mondrian dress.

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

She made extensive use of pink shoking, which became a signature of the house, and at the same time discovered Hubert de Givenchy, who would undoubtedly share her taste for contemporary art.

Schiaparelli runway shows were extremely elaborate, fascinating the 1940s. The themes ranged from the Comedia del Arte to the juxtaposition of his catwalk show with the International Exhibition of Surrealism.

Like many artists, some like Picasso or Man Ray dedicated a portrait to him. In the '50s, however, Christian Dior's New-Look arrived with a vengeance 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 designs at auction

In recent years, haute couture has experienced a golden age it has rarely known. The house of Schiaparelli in particular represents 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 wildcat and she-wolf heads inspired by Dante's L'enfer presented at the Spring-Summer 2023 haute couture show.  Schiaparelli's hand-drawn designs bear witness to this unique stylistic identity, and allow fashion enthusiasts and collectors to dive back into the Italian designer's refined yet provocative universe.

Recognizing an original fashion drawing

A fashion drawing is a work of art in its own right. Some of them are signed and can sometimes be used to identify their author. It is also possible to identify an original by comparison with the designer's other productions.

Know the value of your drawing

If you happen to own a fashion drawing, or think you might, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our 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, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives to sell it at the best possible price, taking into account the inclinations of the market.