The Marvel of Schiaparelli
Schiaparelli’s creative director Daniel Roseberry could be considered the one who bears the newly established standard for the kind of luxurious, idiosyncratic, even eccentric fashion which many believe defines couture. The wonder that this season’s collection was consisted of the largest decorations and bijoux, enormous draping, towering platforms, and weighty surrealisms. The house’s actual roots in Surrealism, art movement formed as a reaction to the horrific events of World War I, still works as a response to the mad machinations of men, so Roseberry’s enchanting work can sometimes represent a dark history.
The designer’s visions came beautifully to life in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, close to the fascinating new exhibition which takes place as a celebration of the life and influence of Elsa Schiaparelli herself. This collection, Roseberry said, felt more as a “surrender, giving in, in a weird, beautiful way”, compared to last year’s “wrestle”. It’s the season Roseberry “fell in love with couture”, and his work is proof of so much.
The collection does indeed seem like a love letter, not only to the marvel that is couture, but to some of its biggest inspirations and practitioners. First one being, of course, Elsa herself. In fact, Roseberry was inspired by the idea of “being in conversation with people who had been so inspired by her”. Subtle homages were made to Elsa’s own Surrealist inspirations, such a jacket made with Jean Cocteau covered with hand-painted taffeta roses, which inspired a mini-dress for Roseberry. The designer also uncovered original Schiaparelli embroideries from the 30s in the archives at Lesage and duplicated them in gold thread, also from that time and also from Lesage. These decorated a hyper-tailored jacket in pink, pale blue and green peau de soie, evoking in both shape and color, Christian Lacroix.
Roseberry himself called it a “mash-up between something that felt incredibly modern and then also wildly romantic”, a mix which certainly left the audience on a high.
The designer was “hesitant to go too far into Elsa’s world”, as her legacy is not ruled by precise codes, but rather it’s something “more abstract”, “, “more like a mentality, an ethos, an ability to make connections, which she did, which I think I [Roseberry] tried to do”. Roseberry has also stated his hope to be landing where the people who are defining culture today are, and his attempt seems to have been successful, with major celebrities and fashion standouts have appeared in Schiaparelli’s ensembles.
