Schiaparelli's Bold Fall Collection

The collection, titled "The Sphynx," saw creative director Daniel Roseberry draw inspiration from a Giacometti brooch he found in the archives, featuring the mythical half-human, half-animal creature. This theme of enigmatic contradiction was woven throughout the show, exploring the tension between glamour and ease, fantasy and practicality. Roseberry played with "impossible knitwear," where heavy Aran cable knits were fused with illusion tulle to create a floating effect. Other innovative textiles included a trompe l'oeil silk wool that mimicked fitted leather and liquid plissé silk-blend gowns laminated to hold architectural shapes without boning. The house's iconic keyhole motif was a recurring symbol, appearing on the tips of shoes and as cut-outs on gowns. Roseberry described it as a symbol of the enigma of the modern woman and a challenge to unlock the brand's potential. The collection also featured cinematic and mid-century tailoring references, evoking the sophisticated heroines of Hitchcock films. This ready-to-wear line represents a more grounded vision for the brand, known for its dramatic couture spectacles. The focus was on creating wearable pieces that still retained Schiaparelli's signature surrealist wit, a move from the gilded pedestal to the "real world." The show debuted just weeks before a major retrospective on the house's founder, Elsa Schiaparelli, is set to open at the V&A museum in London, titled “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art”. This timing underscores Roseberry's ongoing dialogue with the brand's storied past and its radical, art-infused legacy. Daniel Roseberry, a Texas-born designer, has been at the helm of Schiaparelli since 2019, the first American to lead a French couture house. Before joining, he spent over a decade at Thom Browne, rising to become the design director. Under Roseberry, Schiaparelli, which was dormant for 60 years before its 21st-century revival, has once again become a red-carpet force, dressing figures like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Michelle Obama in his surrealist yet modern designs.