A Surreal VISION

In the span of just three years, designer Daniel Roseberry has made the Schiaparelli brand a global household name again. Between dressing Beyoncé for her latest album, Lady Gaga for President Biden’s inauguration, and the opening of the Elsa Schiaparelh exhibition in Paris, there is really nothing shocking about this success story. By Jessica Michault

In a pristine white room-its only real adornment the large window that views out to the Place Vendôme Schiaparelli's Artistic Director Daniel Roseberry sits relaxed behind a minimalist white table. He looks to be still feeling the reverberations that his latest haute couture collection-which he presented the day before sent through the fashion world. The show took place in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, surrounded by the new exhibition Shocking! The Surreal Worlds of Elsa Schiaparelli. It made quite an evocative backdrop to a show that featured music from the original Jurassic Park movie, along with ensembles that celebrated both the female form and the sculptural beauty of blooms.

The exhibition, curated by Olivier Gabet and MarieSophie de la Carrière, is not just a look back at the inventive fashion of the founding Italian fashion designer (think a dress with a lobster decorating the length of the a make-up compact in the form of a telephone's rotary dial, or a hat in the shape of a shoe). It also showcases how collaborations with her artistic contemporaries, such as Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, and Man Ray influenced her work, and by extension, the work of future influential fashion designers. In more than 500 pieces in the exhibit, some of the most fascinating artifacts are the ones that have been born from the minds of John Galliano, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Lacroix, and Azzedine Alaïa.

They best illustrate how Elsa's work has had a ripple effect through generations of designers.

For Daniel, his interpretation of the Schiaparelli spirit is to create collections designed to conjure up deep emotions in his audience and clients...clothing that lingers in the mind long after a season has become part of the brand's storied history.