Surrealist Ingenuity, A Review Of Danial Roseberry's Schiaparelli (Autumn 2021 Haute Couture)
- Montgomery
- Jul 24, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 3, 2023
Pride and Passion
A Brief History On The House of Schiaparelli
Founded in 1927 by Italian fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, the Couture House of Schiaparelli was and remains to be an aesthetic juggernaut within the world of Haute Couture.
Having trained under the libertarian styles of Paul Pairet (renowned for his jettisoning of the corset in the early nineteen-hundreds), a strong sense of modernity can be detected within the very DNA of Schiaparelli’s later work. This, coupled with her affinity for the surrealist movement of the nineteen-twenties would repute Schiaparelli as one of the leading arbitrators of fashion and style in the twentieth century; alongside the likes of Gabrielle Chanel.
"In the building of a basic wardrobe, we cannot go wrong if we strive for simplicity and perfect fitting." - Elsa SchiaparelliThe Review
Since his appointment in 2019, Danial Roseberry has done nothing but DELIVER PURE AND UNEQUIVOCAL EXCELLENCE to the legendary House of Schiaparelli. The thirty-three-year-old Texan's decade-long tenure as the head of men's and women's wear at Thom Browne (a label renowned for exploring avant-garde themes through traditional tailoring and suiting techniques) has certainly influenced Roseberry's creative vision as artistic director for the House of Schiaparelli.
Whether it be Pret-A-Porter or Haute Couture, Roseberry's Schiaparelli is what I look forward to every. single. season. This season, couture clients and enthusiasts alike can expect to see, in Roseberry's words, "a new kind of prettiness", as expressed to Nicole Phelps (director of Vogue Runway) ... I personally feel Roseberry explores this contention rather well. From combining thrifted Levis denim (sourced from local vintage stores) with aged gold Schiaparelli threads (sourced from the archives of the embroiderer Lesage); to pairing a tantalising silver bustier with a fringed black stole made from shredded garbage bags of all things; Roseberry certainly challenges and subverts the material confines of Haute Couture.
For brevity, I will focus on three principal elements from the collection that demonstrates, to me, Roseberry's nuanced understanding of how to preserve the magic of Haute Couture in a world of mass production all the while balancing his own creativity with that of the house codes of Schiaparelli.
Unapologetic Silhouettes
I think what makes Roseberry's couture so special is the level of material emphasis he places on silhouettes. In a world of mass production where anything and everything can be replicated to a t, the technical intricacies, complexities, and aesthetic nuances of haute couture can sometimes feel... Well... Ordinary... Whilst the traditional elements of haute couture, such as embroidery, sequencing, beading, and so on, no doubt dazzled the audiences of yesteryear, it simply does not and surely cannot have the same impact today... Or can it? This to me is where Roseberry's intelligence truly shines amongst his contemporaries.
Take look two, as pictured above, for instance, the gazelle horn-like artisanal metal structures that jut out from the form-fitting embellished bustier certainly makes for a captivating focal point. A surreal one at that (no doubt a reference to the surrealist ethos of the Schiaparelli house). This, coupled with the intricate filigree lamé thread embroidery, topped with gold pearls, gold cut beads, handmade gold pompoms, Swarovski rhinestones, and gold strass, which sits atop the crisp black backdrop of the dress, perfectly exemplifies Roseberry's ability to re-contextualise the traditional material criteria of haute couture in a way that makes the individual elements of the dress feel special in a world where such elements are severely overused, poorly replicated, and cheapened for the sake of commerce (fast fashion).
The sheer simplicity of the sharp yet appropriate contrast between the black of the wool crepe and the rich metallic gold further accentuates the aforementioned point. Simple, but severely effective in communicating the complexity, beauty, and integrity of each bead, pearl, and thread. This luxurious connotation of the individual elements hence the fabricated motif(s), in my opinion, is only made possible because they are used with aesthetic and artistic purposes. A purpose to animate, personify, and compliment Roseberry's avant-garde imaginings. In this context, to compliment the strategic irreverence of the garment's silhouette; thus enhancing its couture magic. We can see this sentiment all throughout the collection, as pictured below.
Material Unorthodoxy
The very concept of "material unorthodoxy", in my opinion, exists at the very heart of the house of Schiaparelli. Elsa Schiaparelli herself was no stranger to mixing themes, ideas, and contexts together to create something new and perhaps irreverent. A perfect example of this would be in 1935 when she, with the collaborative efforts of Salvador Dali, created a powder compact in the shape of a now vintage phone dial (as pictured below). The unexpecting, and of course surreal, design of the compact indicates to me that, in Roseberry's words, "Schiaparelli is a house of ideas"...
It is honestly a triumph and, to some extent, a relief to me that this same material unorthodoxy is resoundingly present within Roseberry's work at Schiaparelli today. This practice, I believe, is one of the primary reasons why each of the collections produced by Roseberry since 2019 for the house has been met with deafening applause.
To me, look nineteen (as pictured below) from the collection is the perfect incarnation of Roseberry's "material unorthodoxy". When I first encountered the garment, I certainly felt that there was a kind of unexpecting mystique about it... Why is the bustier opaque yet translucent? Why does it have a metallic silver finish yet give off an iridescent green sheen? It was as though the look demanded a second, third, and perhaps even a fourth inspection from the viewer to be fully understood and appreciated...
Upon closer inspection, it became evident that the look's supposed "mystique" derives from its constitution. Rather than exclusively sticking to materials synonymous with haute couture (such as organza, crepe, and so on), Roseberry explores, re-interprets, and communicates the motifs of the house (such as the trompe l'oeil shaped bust) through unexpecting yet familiar materials to the contemporary world (such as resin, and plastics). By doing so, Roseberry is not only able to preserve the unpredictable and irreverent surrealism of the Schiaparelli house; but also recreate the same oohs and aahs Elsa Schiaparelli herself experienced from the public when she first debuted her designs. The unexpecting material twists and turns of Roseberry's couture is further accentuated by the knitted black cape in vinyl ribbon fringe made from garbage bags of all things.
The same material unorthodoxy can be detected in, but not limited to, look four (as pictured below) of the collection where Roseberry uses thrifted denim (a seriously unexpected material in couture) as the principal material for the jacket. The garment is made relevant to the Schiaparelli house through the incorporation of anatomical elements (such as nipples, eyes, mouths, and breasts).
Magnetic Accessories
From bejeweled glasses in fringed cellophane (as pictured below; far left), to giant bee brooches (as pictured below; middle), to oversized earrings (as pictured below; far right), Elsa Schiaparelli's surrealist explorations have always extended to her accessories. It is one of the hallmarks of what defines a Schiaparelli look. To me, the magnetic accessories of the house are vivid personifications of the house's surrealist ingenuity, passion, and pride.
Like Elsa Schiaparelli, a variety of ostentatious and outlandish accessories and ornaments can be seen peppered throughout Roseberry's couture (as pictured below). In the context of the overall collection, and the Schiaparelli brand by extension, I feel that the accessories are just as, if not, more important than the actual garments themselves... Think about it, would the garments exude the same "Schiaparelli" effect without the gilded brass necklace in the shape of trompe l’oeil lungs? Or the calfskin belt with a trompe l’oeil abdominal jewel in a silver mirror resin? Or the anatomical trompe l’oeil gilded brass jeweled buttons? I think not.
As I expressed earlier, I think one of the driving factors behind Roseberry's success at Schiaparelli is his ability to explore his own creative contention whilst fully respecting house codes. From this collection alone, it is evident that Roseberry uses highly Schiaparelliesque accessories as a means of fusing together his own creative individuality with that of the house's. His way of making his avant-garde silhouettes and imaginings make sense in the context of the Schiaparelli house. This, to me, is exactly what gives Roseberry's couture at Schiaparelli that extra level of oomph that makes his work so distinct and memorable. The accessories are a big part of what gives the Schiaparelli house its luscious originality amongst other couture houses today.
Overall, the collection is a massive triumph. From its unapologetic silhouettes to its material unorthodoxy, to its magnetic accessories, Roseberry's Schiaparelli started the 2021 July couture week on a massive BANG!