A Brief History of Elsa Schiaparelli’s Iconic Bow Sweater

The Vogue Seal of Approval
The bow sweater made its Vogue debut in December 1927. Drawn by Douglas Pollard, it ran with the following caption: “Viola Paris’s [a character invented by Vogue who represented the epitome of Parisian chic] sweaters are, of course, triumphs of fitting, and this hand-knitted one from Schiaparelli is also a triumph of color blending, in which the black and the white are so interwoven as to become an artistic masterpiece.” Later that year, with the help of a partner, Schiaparelli established her own business.

Endless Imitations
Within months the designer was heralded as a sort of visionary. “Of all the names in gilded letters along the platinum Rue de la Paix, there are none younger and few more important than the tongue-twisting “Schiaparelli”! You probably know it as the name given to a new type of hand-knitted, modernistic sweater,” swooned a journalist in 1928. Part of the novelty of the sweater was its adaptability to the modern lifestyle of the affluent. As Vogue noted that April, “We reiterate that sports clothes are a separate domain of fashion with laws of its own.”

Because it was manna to copiers, the bow sweater took on a life of its own. In July 1928 Loeser’s shop in Brooklyn was offering lower-priced versions with an ad that exclaimed: “Women’s Striped or Plain Sweaters $4.95 Even a Copy of Schiaparelli’s ‘Bow’ Sweater.” Later that year The Ladies Home Journal offered its readers a DIY pattern to make their own.

Why It Matters Now
Plays on figurative motifs, expressed in various media, became a main pillar of Schiaparelli’s work. She would close jackets with metal buttons in the shape of circus performers, and design seasonal prints, embroideries, and witty accessories, such as the infamous shoe hat of 1937. What attracts the modern eye is not the fit of the sweater but the way it flirts with the eye, tying the imagination in pretty knots.