Elsa Schiaparelli. "She likes old clothes, especially suits. Actually, she is very simple. No designer is a better example of good taste, elegance and style." (Source: Photoplay)
In a 1936 article in Photoplay magazine, Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli told Harold S. Kahn the key to elegant, curated style on a budget. From Paris, her bold, modern designs marked an era and changed the way we look at design today. Her bold pieces and her iconic color shocking pink, a carefree fuchsia, consecrated her as one of the great icons of fashion history.
Below, we reproduce the Italian's advice, which continues to teach us about identity and the art of dressing well with surprising relevance:
A woman can dress within her financial means and be chic no matter how limited her income. Most women are foolish when it comes to clothing; they buy too many things thinking they must have them. That even applies to some movie stars. And when a woman has a limited income, she tends to buy a lot of cheap clothes, and that is a serious mistake.
Good taste is extremely important if you want to dress well and make a good impression, whether in Hollywood or anywhere else, and it doesn't matter if you're a famous movie star or an unknown typist. The last time I was in New York I was surprised to see women in mink coats buying pork steaks. You have to have a sense of what is appropriate, and think a little intelligently about the places you are going to wear your clothes to.
Being a busy businesswoman myself, as well as a movie buff, I faced a problem that I'm sure is shared by many women in America who "go to the office": what to wear in the morning to look good all day, even if that means going to dinner or a movie after work in the same outfit. I found that a good suit solved that problem. It's suitable for both work and for interviews with important people, and it's also appropriate if you decide to go to the Ritz for lunch. It avoids constantly changing clothes during the day, and time is money for anyone who is busy.
I wear suits almost all the time. I like them; they are practical in every way, and my advice to a working woman who wants to always dress stylishly and whose income is limited is this: buy a good suit and live in it, rather than filling your closet with a lot of cheap clothes. Make it a good fitted suit, well tailored, made of beautiful material, and, above all, don't be afraid to be seen wearing it frequently. Quality clothes, made with simplicity, never go out of style, no matter what fashion tells you. Of course, it should not have eccentric or exaggerated lines.
Wear your suit to work, to dinner, to the theater; wear it twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year if necessary, and if it's a good suit, you'll always look smart and attractive. On the other hand, if you have a wide variety of cheap clothes and change ten times a day, you will never look chic; cheapness always shows.
Not long ago, an American girl came to me for advice about her clothing problem. She said, "I'm going to Hollywood to work in the movies; it's important that I dress well to make a good impression on the people I hope to meet, but my salary is so low that I can't afford the closet I'd like. What's the minimum amount of money one should spend to look good?"
I'm going to share the tips I gave her, because I think they may be helpful to many American girls and women. Whether you want to make your way in Hollywood, impress your boyfriend, or make a good impression on your boss at the office, these tips will apply to you. I can't give exact figures, because I don't know current prices in the U.S., but I can suggest what in my opinion constitutes the minimum closet a person on a limited income should have to dress stylishly.
Assuming you are starting from scratch, start your closet with a good suit, and add what you can: a good coat, two simple dresses for afternoon or dinner, an elegant evening dress that works for both winter and summer, and an evening coat.
For the first dress, I suggest a good crepe with two different scarves to combine with a black coat with a fur collar. In the case of the evening dress, add a little jacket for casual parties, and remove it for formal events.
For winter, you should have a three-quarter length fur coat, or if you can't afford fur, a thick tweed one. I don't know what your summer weather is like, but Paris is cool and for a similar climate I would suggest a three-quarter cloth coat.
As for shoes, you should have at least one pair of oxfords, one pair of Cuban heels, and some evening sandals in gold or silver -they last a long time.
Shoes should be inconspicuous. Don't wear shoes that are overloaded with bows, ornaments, piercings, and so on. A shoe, to be truly elegant, should be as simple as possible, with a heel that fits the wearer. I completely disapprove of the exaggerated French heels that are so often seen in the United States with sportswear.
If a low heel, which is so popular today, does not fit a foot with a pronounced arch, the effect can be replaced by a Cuban heel. Sometimes the feet are so overdressed, you can't tell what else the person is wearing. Americans tend to make this mistake more than women in any other country.
However, I find that American women are the easiest to dress in the world because they get so much fresh air and exercise. This applies particularly to actresses. But, invariably, the feet and head of the average American woman get no attention. Women can learn from men and be more chic. A man wouldn't think of wearing a tight shoe or one that didn't match his suit.
Shoes, hats, handbag and gloves are all very important and should be considered together. Everything should match in color. Going back to our economic closet, you should have at least two hats: a felt hat to wear with oxfords and a casual blouse; and with the same outfit, an elegant blouse, a dress hat and high heels. This way you can go anywhere in the evening, even visit a Hollywood mogul, if the opportunity arises. It's all about taste, not money.
Cheap jewelry should never be worn unless you're absolutely sure it looks good on you. Pearls, even imitations, are always fine. Simple, modern gold jewelry is also always a good choice. Avoid long earrings, except for evening wear, and also cheap beads like the plague. In general: keep it simple; avoid extremes, sloppy finishes, excess.
Don't underestimate the cost of a good handbag, a quality belt, or decent gloves. It is much better to pay five dollars for gloves that will last two years, than to spend twice as much in two years buying one dollar fifty gloves.
A good sweater should also be in every girl's closet, of course, for weekends in the field and sports in general.
Try to take the greatest care in choosing hats. They are the biggest problem in the United States, because they don't fit like shoes, as they do in Europe.
Now, there you have a complete closet that you can put together in a few months, even if you have a very limited income, and it will last you two years. These are the things you should always keep in mind: buy only good things, don't be afraid to repeat clothes, ignore fads.
If you have good, tasteful clothes, you will always be chic and you can ignore the trends of the moment. Remember that it is not necessary to spend a fortune to look attractive and elegant; it takes surprisingly little money.
All you need is good taste and good judgment.
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