Haute Couture is defined by opulence - lavish ball gowns, excessive detailing, and pieces worth more than a yacht. Couture houses often create pieces that look more like walking pieces of art rather than actual clothes, and no design embodies this better than Schiaparelli. From viral moments with Doja Cat’s bedazzled, all-red look at the house’s spring/summer 2023 couture show to the brand’s surrealist design ethos, Schiaparelli embodies the spirit of opulence.

From its inception in 1927, the brand quickly became synonymous with boundary-pushing designs in high fashion circles due to Elsa Schiaparelli’s knack for experimentation. From working with synthetic materials such as cellophane to creating pieces with extremely dramatic proportions to pleated designs that antecede Issey Miyake’s famous pleats by 50 years, Schiaparelli had perfected experimentation down to a science. However it was her work with surrealist artist Salvador Dali that would inspire her more innovative pieces, such as the infamous skeleton dress, but this surrealist inspiration would become even more prominent in the jewelry she produced. Elements of the face, especially the eyes, would quickly become heavily referenced motifs in her works. This, paired with her heavy use of gold and her signature “shocking pink” color, would cement her works as extremely surreal and lavish. Unfortunately, in the winter of 1954, the brand hit a bleak winter of its own and had to close down, only to be resurrected in 2014. However, looking at more recent collections, such as the Schiaparelli Spring/Summer 2023 collection, it seems the brand’s original design philosophy has prevailed after almost a century since the brand’s initial inception.

Daniel Roseberry, the brand’s current creative director, has been lauded for his ability to progress the brand’s image while still paying homage to the reputation Elsa Schiaparelli built when she created the brand. From pieces like the gold dove brooch that Lady Gaga wore to President Biden’s inauguration, to the golden lung necklace Bella Hadid wore to Cannes 2021, it seems there’s no stopping the new creative director. Roseberry’s ability to merge Schiaparelli’s old design ethos of using animals and body parts as design elements and the heavy utilization of gold, with his design philosophy of creating movement in the clothes he designs, has launched the house into a new spring. Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2024 ready-to-wear collection is full of pieces like this. Look 6 features a light blue blazer and skirt, contrasted with all gold jewelry that wraps around the model’s torso and finishes off with gold earrings that tie the look together. Look 12 features a large golden lobster necklace, an obvious reference to Elsa’s Lobster dress that she designed with Salvador Dali. Roseberry’s use of jewelry as a more prominent part of a look, rather than as an accessory to compliment the look, is what has truly allowed the brand to be revitalized after almost half a century of being out of the public eye. His direction, along with his supportive, talented team, has created a brand that appeals to hardcore fashion connoisseurs and general consumers alike.

Pieces like the gold bracelet on Look 3 in Schiaparelli’s 2020 Spring/Summer couture show and Look 7’s gold and green rhinestone earrings from the Fall/Winter 2022 show, represent just how much more potential Schiaparelli has as a brand. This has not gone unnoticed by the house’s competitors, though. Brands like Zimmermann saw many looks complemented with extremely thick golden bracelets, while houses like Jil Sander and Saint Laurant featured looks with extremely chunky earrings and necklaces, and Ralph Lauren featured many pieces of golden jewelry that took center stage at the show. Of course, this is not to say these brands copied Schiaparelli, but the influence of the house on its peers is undeniable.

Written by Zeeshan Khan, Social Media: Shreya Tiruvidula

Schiaparelli’s Golden Child