FRANCE: Schiaparelli Slip

Favorite designer of many U. S. dress buyers is Elsa Schiaparelli, daughter of an Italian archaeologist, niece of an Italian astronomer, whose passion for curious buttons, hooks, clamps, clips and other fastenings has had a more direct influence on women’s clothes than that of any other modern designer.

A favorite creation at the recent Schiaparelli winter opening was a black cocktail dress with shortish skirt, black rose-shaped buttons, a high V neck and lips of bright red floss embroidered on the pockets of the short jacket. Mrs. Reginald Fellowes, leader of London’s cafe set and onetime friend of the Duke of Windsor, liked it and bought it. So last week did Mrs. Charles Crocker of Manhattan; Mrs. D. J. Sayman of St. Louis; Mrs. Herbert Mavre of Glencoe, Ill.; Mme Alfira de Riglos of Buenos Aires; Mrs. Charles Hanna of Cairo; Mlle Jean Mastbaum of Paris.

Since all of these ladies travel in pretty much the same social league, each learned with horror that she was likely to see the dress that she had just paid at least $350 for not once but seven times. To shrill objections over the telephone Mme Schiaparelli last week had nothing whatever to say. Taking advantage of this sudden publicity, however, style pirates in Manhattan’s garment centre set to work duplicating the model not seven but 700 times.