Frocking Life ─ Searching for Elsa Schiaparelli

The owner of the largest collection of Elsa Schiaparelli garments in the world writes about his lifelong love affair with the work—and the entire persona—of the iconic designer. At age fourteen, designer and artist BillyBoy* had a transformative experience, brought on by the discovery of an Elsa Schiaparelli hat in a Parisian flea market. So began a love affair with Schiaparelli clothes that has lasted more than forty years. For BillyBoy*, Schiap’s designs are talismans: they not only show how the chic designer revolutionized fashion, but also speak to him powerfully about how she lived her life. An artist working in Switzerland with a glamorous and fascinating past, BillyBoy* adopted Schiap as a guardian angel of sorts and has spent a lifetime searching for her through her clothes. Inspired by Shocking Life, Schiap’s own memoir, this book will resonate with anyone who loves historic haute couture. Built around some of the most iconic pieces ever created by the designer, it is a book about endless discoveries and the meaning that can be transmitted across decades by a simple piece of clothing. Peopled by dazzling characters from Schiap’s inner circle and the worlds of art and fashion in 1970s and 1980s New York, London, and Paris, this is a scintillating yet profound homage to a woman who saw life as art, and who inspired a young boy to do the same.

BillyBoy* is a collector, artist, and designer whose creations are part of the permanent collections of The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musee des Arts de la Mode, among many other institutions. As a collector, he is famous for his interest in couture and fashion dolls, and he is the owner of the largest private collection of Elsa Schiaparelli garments in the world. Jean Druesedow is the director of the Kent State University Museum and was formerly the president of the Costume Society of America.