Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli

(Hardback)

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Description

A dazzling picture book biography of one of the world's most influential designers, Elsa Schiaparelli.

Elsa dared to be different, and her story will not only dazzle, it will inspire the artist and fashionista in everyone who reads it.This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. Its a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.

By the 1930s Elsa Schiaparelli had captivated the fashion world in Paris, but before that, she was a little girl in Rome who didnt feel pretty at all. Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is the enchanting story for young readers of how a young girl used her imagination and emerged from plain to extraordinary.

As a young girl in Rome, Elsa Schiaparelli (18901973) felt brutta (ugly) and searched all around her for beauty. Seeing the colors of Romes flower market one day, young Elsa tried to plant seeds in her ears and nose, hoping to blossom like a flower. All she got was sick, but from that moment, she discovered her own wild imagination.

In the 1920 and '30s, influenced by her friends in the surrealist art movement, Schiaparelli created a vast collection of unique fashion designshats shaped like shoes, a dress adorned with lobsters, gloves with fingernails, a dress with drawers and so many more. She mixed her own bold colors and invented her own signature shades, including shocking pink.

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli is a stunning and sophisticated picture book biography that follows Schiaparellis life from birth and childhood to height of success.

Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad (creators of Julia, Child) have gorgeously interpreted Schiaparellis life. Maclear tells a lyrical story with moments both poignant and humorous and Morstads elegant imagery saturates the pages with Schiaparelli-inspired shapes and colors.

Informative backmatter and suggested further reading included.

Reviews

The duo behindJulia, Childoffers a bold first-person biography of designer Elsa Schiaparelli. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Morstads vivid mixed-media have an imaginativeness to match Schiaparellis surrealistic designs (playing with a beloved uncle as a child, she soars amid the stars and planets of the cosmos) and feature splashes of Schiaparellis trademark shade of pink...[Its] a dramatic tribute worthy of its audacious subject. Publishers Weekly (starred review) With beautiful, richly colorful, and playful artwork nicely evoking the character of its subject, this lyrical biography of Elsa Schiaparelli offers picture-book readers an enlightening introduction to the wildly inventive and influential fashion designer. Booklist Morstads delicate watercolor illustrations do a great job of depicting Schiaparellis designs, but subtle hintspink flowers composed of dresses, shoes, and gloves, for instanceemphasize how Schiaparellis view of the world shaped her artwork. Booklist Little ones who dare to be different will be inspired. Booklist In full scenes and vignettes, Morstads mixed-media paintings capture the lanky, classy panache of Schiap and her designs. Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books Using Schiaparelli herself as narrator, this picture-book biography tells the story of her unsettled childhood and rise to premier couturier for a young audience. Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books Together Maclear and Morstad have created a picture book that, like Elsas art, is daring, different, and whole and that reminds us that together, we BLOOM and BLOOM. Jennifer Oleinik, Shelf Awareness (blog) Morstads (When Green Becomes Tomatoes) lush illustrations match Maclears enlightening narrative... [her] illustrations rise and fall with Elsas emotional and artistic journey. Jennifer Oleinik, Shelf Awareness (blog)

Author Bio

As a little girl Kyo Maclear wanted very badly to be a fashion designer. She spent countless hours in her London home drawing crazy dresses, including a very special giant cloud dress. Although not a fashion designer, Maclear is the critically acclaimed author of many children's books including, JULIA, CHILD, THE WISH TREE, VIRGINIA WOLF and MR. FLUX. Kyo holds an Honors B.A. in Fine Art and Art History an M.A. in Cultural Studies from the University of Toronto, and is a doctoral candidate at York University where she holds a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. When she is not writing, Kyo Maclear plants her garden with flowers in all shades of blue. Julie Morstad is an award-winning illustrator and artist. She has many children's books including, TODAY, HOW TO, and THE WAYSIDE. Her beautiful illustrations can be found in WHEN GREEN BECOMES TOMATOES; WHEN I WAS SMALL; THIS IS SADIE; JULIA, CHILD and critically acclaimed SWAN: THE LIFE AND DANCE OF ANNA PAVLOVA. Living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Julie enjoys her garden filled with dahlias, peonies, Cotton Candy grass, hydrangeas, cosmos and wildflowers.