kolkata christies is presenting the the personal collection of elsa schiaparelli will be offered at auction in paris on 23 january 2014 a landmark sale for the international world of fashion style and design the collection comes to the market having passed by descent to elsa schiaparellis granddaughter the actress marisa schiaparelli berenson with passion and extraordinary vision the legendary madame elsa schiaparelli a deadly rival of coco chanel was at the heart of avantgarde ideas in 1930s paris a powerful conduit between the worlds of cuttingedge fashion and surrealist art she was a collaborator friend and patron to many leading artists of the day from salvador dal and man ray to christian brard jean cocteau alberto and diego giacometti and marcel verts comprising approximately 180 lots this remarkable private collection features fashion a dynamic combination of elsa schiaparellis own designs alongside other muchloved ethnic costumes and personal pieces furniture fine art and decorative arts which together evoke the unique inspirational sensibility adored by so many the star lots of the sale are a bronze alberto giacometti 1936 floor lamp modelled with the head of a young woman estimate 6000080000540007100081000110000 and a violet silk blouse 1939 from schiaparellis astrologie collection estimate 25000300002300027000 3400041000 with estimates for individual lots starting at 500450670 the collection is expected to realise in the region of 8000007100001100000 marisa schiaparelli berenson the granddaughter of elsa schiaparelli explains in an email statement my grandmother was an inspiration and always has been and now i think its very important for younger generations to know who she was to have a taste of that wonderful world that she lived in that she created that she left behind her im very much one of those people who lives in the present obviously the past is precious because of everything it means emotionally and because of the legacy one has oneself in ones genes and the culture and the richness that its brought to ones life but i think thats all inside of me and there are certain things that i dont need to carry around all my life there comes a time when you want to let go of things because life changes i think my grandmothers personal belongings will inspire future generations this is an extraordinary and fascinating legacy pat frost director of christies fashion department commented to have the opportunity of cataloguing the personal wardrobe of elsa schiaparelli is quite simply a privilege not only is the experience like meeting old friends known intimately from books and photographs such as the astrologie blouse but it is also a peek into the home life of a design icon where chinese robes ottoman gowns and persian jackets hung in large numbers in her wardrobe next to couture elsa schiaparelli wore them informally but with a connoisseurs appreciation of their worth many elements indeed are interwoven into her own couture collections it has been an added pleasure to have been working with marisa schiaparelli