Schiaparelli
In the mid 20th century, Elsa Schiaparelli brought a rebellious, provocative spirit to fashion through her collaborations with artists like Dalí, Cocteau, Man Ray and Giacometti. In 2024, the couture house of Schiaparelli is enjoying a resurgence under the creative direction of Daniel Roseberry, who has embraced the great designer’s legacy in a process of creating fashion that aligns closely with art.
Image credit: Maison Schiaparelli (fashion house), Daniel Roseberry (designer), Look 6, 2021–22, The Matador Couture collection, autumn/winter 2021–22, wool crêpe and duchess satin, rose embroidery in taffeta. Model: Rouguy Faye. Courtesy Maison Schiaparelli
Any discussion about fashion and art’s interlaced love language would be remiss without Elsa Schiaparelli. The avant-garde Italian-born, Paris-based designer – who famously collaborated with Man Ray, Méret Oppenheim, Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí – progressed women’s fashion through a surrealist lens during the interwar period. Retrospectively, the output of ‘Schiap’, as the designer came to be known, has been widely exhibited, her garments an encapsulating example of the dreamlike juxtapositions that the surrealist movement sought to represent.
And, while this level of prominence can be something of a trap for the creative heir, in his five years as the artistic director of Maison Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry’s work has evolved swiftly from ‘promising’ to setting the benchmark. At the time of writing, New York Magazine, in speculation about who might take over creative direction at Chanel, declared Roseberry to be one of few designers offering anything new on the runway. “This kind of experimenting and commitment to leaving your audience a little stunned seems increasingly rare,” opined critic Cathy Horyn of the latest Schiaparelli collection, noting that it was a step forward in its inherent eroticism.
Indeed, this is where Roseberry’s approach has been particularly successful. At his very first collection presentation in July 2019, Roseberry, seated at a drafting table in the centre of the runway, made clear that his vision for the brand was, as quoted in The New York Times, one of “no nostalgia. No lips. No hands.” Meaning: while he aims to capture the spirit and humour of his brand’s... Subscribe to read all articles in full
