Schiaparelli Couture Used the Present to Reimagine Its Past
Schiaparelli has always pushed the boundaries of design, wafting between surrealism and hyper-realism, but under artistic director Daniel Roseberry, these garments have taken on a whole new quest for perfection. Bodices are divinely shaped and Elsa references expertly executed. Many of his looks possess such a measure of impossibility that watching a Schiaparelli couture show can feel like holding one’s breath.
Dua Lipa on the steps outside the show.
Cardi B arriving with a raven in tow.
His technical skill and signature exaggerated beauty has shed modern light back both on the house and the craft of couture itself, drawing celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Julia Fox inside its show doors. Kicking off couture week bright and early this morning, Cardi B was spotted in attendance carrying a (very real) raven, which stood guard at the outer door with a handler during the show. She sat alongside other Roseberry celebrity disciples, including Hunter Schafer and Dua Lipa.
This season’s sartorial experiments were no exception; however, there was an overarching sense of minimalism and looser shapes that coincided with a darker, edgier color palette. Where the spring 2024 couture collection was an investigation of defunct technology, fall 2025 is Roseberry’s mission to return “Back to the Future.” It prods at what nostalgic design could look like in an imagined modern context, one that resists the advent of AI and technological development.
Of course this means that the collection was flush with archival recreations, among them Elsa’s “Apollo of Versailles” cape, this time shown in glimmering silver. Perhaps the centerpiece achievement was a recreation of Carlos Alemany and Salvador Dalí’s functional Royal Heart Brooch, which adorned the nape of the neck on a backwards sculpted dress. If the heart could be made to move with basic hidden mechanics back then, Roseberry was sure to demonstrate that he could make it pulse now.
The vintage silhouettes and pillbox hats, though a “throwback” by design standards, didn’t feel overtly nostalgic. Roseberry’s editing eye veered away from any overwrought interpretations. Instead, ’30s skirt suits, sleek semi-sheer slip gowns (one complemented by a glittering exposed thong), an embroidered matador ensemble, and a metallic encrusted leopard jacket co-mingled to form the daring, eccentric persona that Roseberry wishes to emulate.
By relinquishing the present, in which technology like social media has irreparably altered our self-perception, Roseberry was able to fully grasp the past and propose an alternative standard of beauty. Many of these pieces were refined, relaxed, and all the more perfect for it.
Alexandra Hildreth is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. She is fascinated by style trends, industry news, shake-ups, and The Real Housewives. Previously, she attended the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following graduation, she moved back to New York City and worked as a freelance journalist and producer.
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