In honor of the most glamorous fete, Cannes Film Festival, we pay homage to couture designer Elsa Schiaparelli—whose fantastical creations embody the spirit of the most decadent, fashion event at Cannes. Jane Fonda put her best foot forward at the premiere of "Youth" at the Cannes Film Festival--the construction of the dress took two months--dressed in Schiaparelli Haute Couture and Cartier jewels. 

A Brief Timeline: 

1927: Elsa Schiaparelli creates the first hand-knit pullover with a trompe-l’œil motif that is an instant success. In black and white, black and bright colours, with bow, geometric, skeleton, sailor tattoo or abstract tortoise motifs, the pullover is adopted by the actresses and celebrities of the age. Vogue deems it a masterpiece. The United States immediately snatches it up, making it a best-seller.
The company “Schiaparelli – Pour le Sport” is established at 4, rue de la Paix.

1928: The knitwear collections are complemented by beach pyjamas, swimsuits, tweed sportswear ensembles, ski suits and evening dresses.
Launch of the first fragrance “S”. 
The pullover with the trompe-l’œil bow becomes so famous that an American magazine publishes the pattern without mentioning the designer’s name.

1929: First use of visible zips (both decorative and functional). 
First licences in the United States for printed clothing.
Sports champions wear Schiaparelli designs, especially pullovers.

1930: First apron-wrap dress
As a modern and innovative woman, Elsa Schiaparelli files a patent for a one-piece swimsuit with an integrated bra. 
Elsa writes her first article published in an American magazine.
New licences in the United States for shoes and coloured stockings.
First strong-shouldered coats and suits, described as “hard chic” (the ancestor of the power suit).
First collaboration with an artist, Elsa Triolet creates the aspirin porcelain necklace. 

1931: Creation of culottes.
First runway show of the entire collection at Saks in New York.
Collaboration with the painter Jean Dunand: a long dress featuring a painted trompe-l’œil pleat.

1934: Cover of TIME magazine. She is the first woman fashion designer to be given such an honour. The article presents her as “one of the arbiters of ultra-modern Haute Couture”.
New innovation: rhodophane, a fabric as transparent and fragile as glass.
Launch of a collection of perfumes: Soucis, Salut and Schiap. The bottle is designed by Jean-Michel Frank.
First surrealist accessories.

1937: Collaboration with Jean Cocteau, whose drawings feature on coats, evening ensembles and jewellery. 
Creation of Mae West’s costumes for the film Every Day's a Holiday. 
Wallis Simpson, the future duchess of Windsor, chooses Schiaparelli for her trousseau.
Launch of the perfume Shocking and the colour “shocking pink”. The perfume, whose bottle designed by Léonor Fini represents a dressmaker’s dummy following the curves of Mae West, decorated with porcelain flowers and a velvet measuring tape, is an unprecedented success. The fragrance is composed by the master-nose, Jean Carles. 

1938: “Le Cirque” (circus) collection. Elsa Schiaparelli was the first to give a theme to her collections from the early thirties. Between looks, accessories and performances by circus artists, the presentation of the “Le Cirque” collection marks a new turning point, being the first runway show/entertainment comparable to one of today’s fashion shows.
Launch of the fragrance Sleeping.
Creation of the American branch of Parfums Schiaparelli, whose head office at the Rockefeller Center is decorated by Jean-Michel Frank.

1949: Despite the strike of part of her ateliers, Elsa presents her collection with designs showing pins, fabric swatches and no buttonholes. The collection’s daring approach and youthful style make it a big success.
Cover of Newsweek with the headline Schiaparelli the Shocker. 

1950: Creation of graphic pleated dresses. The New York Times describes the collection as decidedly focused on the modern world rather than the past. 
Schiaparelli ready-to-wear licence in the United States.
First charity fashion show in Beverly Hills.

2012: Reopening of the Couture House at Hôtel de Fontpertuis, 21 place Vendôme, in the very place where Elsa left it.
Farida Khelfa is appointed ambassador for the House.
In May, inauguration of the Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

2013: In July, tribute to Elsa in a unique Haute Couture collection designed by Monsieur Christian Lacroix. 
In September, Marco Zanini is appointed creative director, responsible for the Haute Couture and Prêt-à-Couture collections.

2014: The first Haute Couture runway show since 1954 will be presented in January, during Paris Haute Couture week.

Jane Fonda's Cannes Schiaparelli Haute Couture Gown 

 Jane Fonda was dressed in her Haute Couture gown--a strapless black double silk satin gown showing an inverted heart-shaped neckline embellished with a draped and twisted bustle in shocking pink silk taffeta. It is inspired by a Summer 1952 Schiaparelli Haute Couture dress.

Photos courtesy of Schiaparelli.