Schiaparelli (strikes again)

Coco Chanel's greatest rival is being resurrected from the dead.

Of course, I'm talking about Elsa Schiaparelli.

She was the Isabella Blow of the early 20th century.

Shoe hats. Lobster dresses. Skeleton dresses. Spiraling metal glasses.

A closetful of her designs would be enough to give Lady Gaga a full-blown orgasm.

Schiaparelli created bizarre and surrealistic fashion designs that had people in the 1930s scratching their heads. Of course, today, we think they're cool. She was waaaay ahead of her time.

She closed her shop in 1954 and she died in 1973, but her design house is being revived. The rights to the house were bought six years ago and now her original showroom has been acquired. The first couture line is expected next summer.

Actress Farida Khelfa was named as house ambassador and she's being pretty coy about who will be coming on as the head designer. (There's rumors its John Galliano).

To give you an idea of how cool this is, let me provide you with a little background of Schiaparelli.

The 1920s and 1930s were a whirlwind for the eccentric designer.

She introduced the world to jackets worn with evening gowns, skorts, visible zippers on dresses, and wacky prints (among a zillion other things).

In 1937, the famous designer collaborated with the world's most intriguing artists, creating items of clothing that made her an icon.

She worked with Jean Cocteau to create this legendary jacket.

It was her partnership with Salvador Dalí which raised eyebrows, however.

He painted this lobster dress for Schiaparelli.

The Tears Dress featured a print he made which was intended to give the illusion of torn animal flesh.

He helped her design this skeleton dress.

After his wife jokingly photographed him wearing one of her slippers on his head, Dalí sketched designs for a shoe hat for his friend, which she featured in her 1937-38 collection. It became a popular headpiece for her most famous and wealthy clients.

When she wasn't busy partnering up with her famous artsy friends, Schiaparelli created work inspired by her fans.

Her perfume, "Shocking!" in 1936 came in a bottle shaped like a woman's torso. The bottle, inspired by Mae West, was an explosive pink, which in turn was inspired by her client Daisy Fellowe's famous pink diamond.

Oh, and she is also believed to have invented the first power suit.

So, in other words, Schiaparelli was fucking fabulous.

Needless to say, Chanel hated her guts. The two women tossed insults at each other through news articles.

Unfortunately, after World War II, the bad ass designer refused to keep up with the Christian Dior inspired change in fashion and her business tanked. In 1954, she closed shop. Ironically, it was the same year her rival Chanel decided to come out of retirement.

And now, probably thanks to the success of Lady Gaga's outrageous style, the Schiaparelli house is back.

I can't even imagine what Schiaparelli is going to throw at us next summer.

Are you excited?