A BLINK OF AN EYE it’s an understandable reaction when a fashion editor proclaims “Surrealism is trending!” Sportswear that weaves reality and the subconscious—or has abstract nipples, like the Alaïa dress pictured below—may seem only fit for the more stylish.
But the surreal sight has become commonplace. Recently spotted in London: Kylie Jenner in a Comme des Garçons Fall 2007 skirt and jacket, adorned with 3-D hands that gripped her hips and breasts.
IT’S AN ILLUSION From left: Loewe’s Fall 2022 dress is embellished with faux balloons that look like they’re about to burst; This outfit’s trompe l’oeil face, nipples and navel were inspired by Picasso’s ceramics. Alaïa dress, $6,500, gagosianshop.com
Her outfit recalled the work of Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli, who, after launching her brand with a trompe l’oeil sweater in 1927, collaborated with surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí (the melting clock boy) and Man Ray (known for lip painting in the air). . In her 1934 line, a beautiful jacket, cape, bag and belt also featured the appendage.
FLOWER GIRL Chiara Ferragni in a rosette ‘breast’ Schiaparelli top at the Paris Haute Couture shows in July.
Photo:
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Since becoming Schiaparelli’s creative director in 2019, Daniel Roseberry has brought the label back into the spotlight. You may have seen his big earrings—a curious combination of gold-plated fingers and teeth—on Beyoncé at the 2021 Grammys; Kim Kardashian wore his emerald dress with a molded, Hulk-ish needle in 2020. It combines anatomy, wit and sexual undertones as an homage to Elsa’s original idea of surrealism. He and his team, he said, “talk a lot about ‘psycho chic.'” That is, fashion that’s “a little independent without going overboard.” Beginners who prefer to be more independent, he said, can start with an unusual bag.
In the surreal, “humor is very important” as long as there is something deeper and darker beneath the surface, said Olivier Gabet, curator of “Shocking! The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli,” at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs of Paris (through Jan. 22).A shining example: a 1937 Schiaparelli dress (pictured below) that has subversive undertones thanks to a strategically placed lobster painted by Dalí.
SUREL DEAL From left: Salvador Dalí and Elsa Schiaparelli co-created this 1937 lobster dress; Man Ray’s 1924 “Le Violon d’Ingres” fetched $12.4 million at Christie’s in May. PHOTO: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Christie’s Images
Fall collections from Loewe, Y/Project and others also addressed the style philosophy. London-based jewelry designer Solange Azagury-Partridge’s Hotlips ring has been a surrealist fan favorite since 1995, made in silver or gold and available coated in various shades of enamel. She called it a “visual game.”
The early Surrealists could easily have used the same term. “Everything was a dual purpose,” said Darius Himes, international head of photography at Christie’s auction house. He said that surrealism is “a rejection of what makes sense in order to pursue other ways of finding happiness.”
Maybe not so weird after all.
UNMIRRORED OPTIONS From left: Earrings, $300, AgmesNYC.com; JW Anderson Top, $190, Farfetch.com; Solange Hotlips Ring, $285, Shop-US.DoverStreetMarket.com; Jacket, $7,800, Schiaparelli.com
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