I've always been fascinated by Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Highly controversial figures even 80 years after the abdication, many details of their lives are still being debated amongst historians. However, one thing everyone can agree on is that they had incredible taste and personal style. Both Wallis and Edward expressed themselves sartorially and through the homes they lived in, with their influence over the worlds of fashion and design continuing to this day.
One of my favorite "Wallis" looks of all time has to be Schiaparelli's Lobster Dress created in collaboration with Salvador Dali in 1935. Cecil Beaton captured the Duchess wearing the Lobster dress at the Chateau de Cande for Vogue, iconic images from which countless designers and contemporary labels have drawn inspiration, including Tibi who created an adorable summer dress with a large lobster on the front.
Today the lobster motif is synonymous with the house of Schiaparelli, featured prominently in the recent couture collection. Below are just a few examples of the Lobster motif from Schiaparelli and from some of the designers that the original inspired.
Wallis Simpson, photographed by Cecil Beaton for Vogue, at the Chateau de Cande circa 1937:
Isaac Mizrahi's take on the dress for a Wallis-inspired editorial titled 'The Great Pretender" , captured by Karl Lagerfeld for The New York Times Magazine in 1993:
Anna Wintour pays tribute to Schiaparelli in a Prada lobster-motif dress for the 2012 Met Gala, where the "Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations" exhibition was launched:
The lobster as interpreted by Bertrand Guyon for Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2016:
Guyon's 2017 take on the Schiaparelli x Dali lobster dress for Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017.
