Schiaparelli was Italian    birth, but attended French, Swiss and English

schools before working in the United States. In 1920 she went to Paris    she

made friends with Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and other surrealist artists   

influenced the design of the clothes she made for herself. As a result of wearing 

  own striking black and white sweaters, Schiaparelli began   

orders from an American store.

In 1929 the store's managers were    impressed that they decided to set her 

  in business. Soon she    able to expand into jewellery, perfume,

cosmetics, lingerie and swimsuits and to commission her artist friends to create further

fashion ideas.

After the war, it was not clear    was going to happen to the fashion industry.

But by 1947 Schiaparelli and others    re-established Paris as the heart of the

fashion world. She continued to spread the city's fashions across the world on a

large commercial scale    her death in 1973.