Schiaparelli's dinner jackets changed the outline of women's fashion from soft to hard, from feminine to masculine during the mid- to late 1930s. The basic silhouette, which comprised wide shoulders and a narrow waist, first appeared in her autumn/winter 1931–32 collection entitled "Wooden Soldiers." It was inspired by the Indo-Chinese costumes featured in the "Exposition Coloniale" in Paris in 1931. The extended shoulders, achieved through padding, became hugely influential in Hollywood. During a trip to America, Schiaparelli commented, "In Hollywood, one special item of popularity had preceded me—that of the padded shoulders. I had started them to give women a slimmer waist. They proved the Mecca of the manufacturers. Joan Crawford had adopted them and molded her silhouette on them for years to come. They became emphasized and monstrous. Adrian took them up with overwhelming enthusiasm."

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