Mad Cap Schiap: Stylish Holiday Films and Surrealist Collage

It’s Friday the 13th & the Feast of Santa Lucia!

We’d considered doing another “spooky” session of films, as we did in 2019. But we’ve decided to attempt something a little more sophisticated for this evening’s convergence of the spirits: Schiaparelli and Surrealism.

Stylish Holiday Films

Tonight, we’re going to watch some Stylish Holiday Films, festive movies in which the costumes are on point. Take, for instance, Holiday (1938), whose designer, Robert Kalloch, drew inspiration from the wonderful [and on-trend in 2024] Elsa Schiaparelli. Not only does Katherine Hepburn’s Linda Seaton sport a blouse with a hand-shaped button or brooch in an early scene, Doris Nolan’s Julia wears a cap strikingly similar to Schiap’s own famous Mad Cap! [Props to Julie Eilber for pointing out these caps on Instagram!]

To these, we might add Edith Head’s OTT costumes in White Christmas or her party dresses for Ginger Rogers in I’ll be Seeing You, Howard Greer’s pitch-perfect wardrobe for Janet Leigh in Holiday Affair, or Sandy Powell’s glorious dressing of Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in Carol. And, while it’s not strictly a holiday film, Adrian’s cheeky Schiap-inspired fashions for The Women are both a challenge and a delight!

Oh, and how could I forget Jean Louis’ costumes for Kim Novak in Bell Book & Candle or Irene Sharaff for Meet Me in St. Louis?

Surrealist Collage

While we’re watching our films, we’re going to try our hands at some surrealist collage. I’m thinking of the artists who inspired and conspired with Schiaparelli, like Ernst and Dali. We’ll use old magazines, saved clippings, glue, scissors, oil pastels and other crayons to create our very own fashionable feasts for and of the eyes.