Last night, tensions were high as the fashion world awaited Schiaparelli’s new collection after last season’s faux animal head debacle. Guests arrived in Paris expecting to see an haute couture spring show. Instead, they were treated to an experience more reminiscent of an art gallery inauguration than a fashion runway. Daniel Roseberry stayed true to the surrealist designs that have turned the brand into an A-lister favourite since his 2019 creative takeover, only this time he piled them full of references to the art world. Unlike the past few years, the focus wasn’t on creating head-turning moments; it was about proving that Schiaparelli belongs just as much in an art museum as on a runway.
An argument in favour of the everpresent is-couture-art-or-not debate has always been Schiaparelli’s otherworldly designs. And this boundary-bending, dramatic 2023 collection has proven to be another winning point for the affirming side.
How could it not be, with each of the thirty looks inspired by avant-garde artists?
The appropriately named ‘And The Artists’ collection was filled with artistic references from different schools and eras that, although not inherently connected, flowed together seamlessly because of their shared values: the craftsmanship and sense of wonder that characterizes the fashion house.
After the past few streamlined collections we’ve seen from Roseberry, this decision to reinterpret the maison’s codes in a maximalist way was a refreshing excitement.
“The last season was so reduced, I really wanted the focus to be on techniques, color, and the privilege of being able to create couture,” he declared backstage. “It’s been about going to artists that she [Elsa Schiaparelli] collaborated with, but also artists that I’ve been inspired by—there’s a whole cacophony of references in there.”
One model wore a broken-mirror cardigan and skirt set referencing sculptor Jack Whitten’s mirrored mosaics, while wooden mannequin arms and necklaces were a nod to Alberto Giacometti. Another model was hand painted in brushstrokes reminiscent of Lucian Freud, and a faux fur coat imitated the palm fronds from Matisse’s studio. Yves Klein’s signature cobalt blue was a constant sight, covering everything from lapped mini skirts to models’ skin. With nods to Jack Whitten, Sarah Lucas, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miró, the show proved that Roseberry’s Schiaparelli deserves that place next to these artists’ work in a museum.
The female anatomy wasn’t overshadowed by the collection’s artistry, either, with gilded ears in beaded clasps and peep-toed pumps keeping the trend alive. Since his arrival, Roseberry’s focus on feminine silhouettes and craft-like accessories has thrown the fashion house into the spotlight that Elsa Schiaparelli always wanted it to occupy. It is this commercial success that allowed him to break free from the head-to-toe formulas that the founder frequented, opting instead to find freedom in separates. Elsa’s own granddaughter, Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson, seemed to approve from her seat on the front row.
“These are pieces a woman can assemble however she wants,” Roseberry wrote in the presentation’s notes. “Most of the ‘looks’ you see here were put together in the days leading up to this show. This approach felt like a Surrealist’s interpretation of a woman’s essential closet.”
He wanted to create ‘an impossible wardrobe’– and it’s safe to say he succeeded. The show was contrasted by modernized classic shapes like beaded silver shawls and physics-defying little black dresses that promise many viral red-carpet moments in our future. Cardi B, Tracee Ellis Ross, Gwendoline Christie, Chiara Ferragni, and Emily in Paris‘ Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu were on the front row, so we won’t be surprised if they’re among the celebrities donning some of these looks hereafter.
When thinking of Schiaparelli, one can’t help but think of fine art, divine craftsmanship, and surrealism. So Roseberry’s embrace of this connection to create a couture collection is just what the brand needed after all the negativity from last season. The ‘And The Artists’ show hasn’t just redeemed the house– it has also put to bed any doubt that couture isn’t an art form.
Words by Alexia De Las Heras
Header Image By @Schiaparelli Instagram
