DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT
Hard Chic: The House of Schiaparelli
Sundays, 1pm EST
January 4 & 11, 2026
In this two-session online course, we will explore the life, work and legacy of one of the fashion world's most original voices: Elsa Schiaparelli, whose unique brand of "hard chic" has been pushing boundaries and unapologetically reinventing fashion since the late 1920s.
About The Course
Class Details
In two 90-minute live, online sessions, we will explore the history of one of contemporary fashion's most innovative brands: Schiaparelli. A heritage house with nearly 100 years of history, this course will reveal the life and career of Elsa Schiaparelli and shed light on the contemporary iconography of the house today.
From her revolutionary use of materials and collaborations with Surrealist artists to a bitter feud with Coco Chanel, this course will immerse you in the intoxicating world of Schiaparelli and shed light on the of the houses' design lexicon, which has been reinvigorated and brought back to life by Daniel Roseberry.
The cost is $75 for the two-part course.
*Gift certificates available*
Class recordings will be shared the following day should you not be able to attend the live session.
Session I: A Surreal Life
January 4, 2026
1pm EST
This online session spotlights the life of Elsa Schiaparelli and explores Schiaparelli's formative years before reinventing herself (after the age of 40) as one of fashion's most irreverent and revered couturiers.
From her years growing up in the Italian intelligentsia to her poverty-stricken years as a new mother abandoned in NYC, Schiap's determination, vision and subsequent explosion onto the Paris fashion scene in 1928, continues to shape the world of contemporary fashion today.
January 11, 2026: Shocking Beauty
January 11, 2026
1pm EST
In this online session, we examine sublime examples of Elsa Schiaparelli's designs which took the world by storm during the 1930s and 1940s. Bold, brazen and surreal, the intellectual whimsy of her designs were beloved by the era's avant-garde woman. Specific and intentional, the symbolism of the House of Schiaparelli is alive and well today in its contemporary incarnation helmed by Daniel Roseberry. This session delves into the house's design lexicon past and present.
About Your instructor
April Calahan is an art and fashion historian, writer and professional podcaster living and working in New York City. She served as a Special Collections curator at the Fashion Institute of Technology for more than a decade, and her work has been featured in Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, WWD, The Guardian and The New York Times. She has lectured at cultural institutions around the world including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Yale University, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and Parsons School of Design.
In addition to authoring/co-authoring five books on the history of fashion, she is also the co-Executive Producer/Host of Dressed: The History of Fashion podcast, with her longtime collaborator Cassidy Zachary.