Dior Shines With a Strong Womanly Show

‘Shocking,’ the title of a new exhibition in Paris of the fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli, is indeed shocking. She did so much, from her Surrealist embroideries and hats to her witty perfume bottles (including one in the shape of a birthday candle), and she seemingly knew every major artist. You also see her influence on later generations of couturiers, most notably Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Christian Lacroix. When John Galliano did his newspaper-print dress, in 2000, for Dior, he could thank Schiap.