Schiaparelli, a haute couture house, digitally presented its spring/summer 2022 ready to wear collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Daniel Roseberry, creative director, directly credits the late Italian designer for his inspiration for the new collection. This suggests his fascination with her private life and his curiosity about who she was. Roseberry wanted to capture Schiaparelli’s contrasts through the pieces. He displayed her dualities and stated that “She is irreducible, which makes her inimitable.”
Roseberry also wondered who she was when she stepped on stage alone, far from the glittering Parisian demimonde. Roseberry released a press release. “What is the Schiaparelli woman wearing when she’s not – to borrow a term from drag – serving?”
The collection offers two perspectives: Elsa in the City and Elsa on Holiday. Each represents a different understanding of Schiaparelli’s life.
“City” explores the twists of ’70s French ready-to wear, combining Surreliast jewelry and exaggerated body parts that are hallmark elements of the Maison. This selection recreates Schiaparelli classics like a miniskirt or jacket set, remade with white denim and floral prints that have been remixed for a sequin trousersuit.
On the other end of the spectrum is “Elsa on vacation”, which centers around holiday clothing for the state-of-mind. Roseberry said, “They’re pieces to escape a literal reality, but also escape from it.” Multicoloured knit oneies are next to “fantasy swimmingwear”, while black silk dresses with drapes offer more traditional takes.
In contrast to Schiaparelli’s often exaggerated style, the silhouettes are more casual and offer wearable interpretations of haute couture house offerings. Accessories are still extravagant. To further showcase the new updates, over-sized earrings and necklaces were available as well as snakeskin shoulder bags, restructured signature pieces and large-sized necklaces.
