Schiaparelli’s done it again. The celebrated fashion house, led by Daniel Roseberry, opened Paris Couture Week last Monday with a bang. The SS24 show was an exquisite display of Western elegance, dramatic silhouettes, and… robots? Titled “Schiaparellian”, the show was inspired by Elsa Schiaparelli’s uncle, Giovanni Schiaparelli, and his work as an astronomer, and Roseberry’s Texas roots.
The brand is no stranger to striking silhouettes or surreal accessories. The first few looks down the runway featured exaggerated round shoulders, made of the richest fabrics. The Western influence is sprinkled throughout with huge belt buckle details, fringe, bolero jackets, and bandanas. This looked familiar to everyone who watched Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2024 menswear show, which was cowboy chic inspired. This is not to say any aspect of Schiaparelli’s show was ordinary. The sixth look of the show took everyone by surprise. The model wore an off-white ribbed tank and inside-out pants decorated with horse hair. But that’s not all. Positioned on her waist was a robot baby. Yep. A toddler-sized doll made of tech waste such as wires, chips, boards, and cellphones. Before the audience could compose themselves, the next model was walking wearing a mini dress made of the same tech waste. As captivating as these were, it’s hard to mistake the symbolism. Creating in the time of AI is stressful and uncertain for all artists and designers. This collection is flipping the ambiguity of AI on its head, and telling the world “Look what I can do. Look how I can use this technology”. It’s creative genius.
This collection had a very intentional dichotomy between theatrical silhouettes, western appliques, tech-covered dresses, and more subdued, elegant gowns. These alluring ensembles are still incredibly refined and striking, but simpler than many Schiaparelli looks. With the writer’s strike being over, and award show season just right around the corner, I suspect we’ll see a shower of Schiaparelli gowns from this collection on the red carpets. After all, Schiaparelli creates for the camera. Just like last year, celebrities arrived at the show offering a sneak peak of what was to come. Zendaya arrived in a stunning all-black ensemble with an equestrian-inspired train, and knots of faux horse braids that were seen in the collection. Hunter Schafer’s black velvet and satin gown was similar to quite a few velvet looks on the runway. She also wore a large gilded lily necklace not featured in the collection but was designed by Roseberry as an homage to Elsa Schiaparelli.
Roseberry called the show a “study in contradiction” which beautifully sums it up. The stiffness of some silhouettes versus the movement and flow of the others. The sleek, glossy hair versus the western and looser accessories. The rich satins versus the stiff leathers. The show was nothing if not bewitching. Roseberry has always known how to captivate an audience and keep them on their toes. This collection was the perfect way to commence Paris Fashion Week, and everyone is eager to see what Schiaparelli will bring us next time.
Words by Alix Russell-Mann
Graphics by Evan Skovronsky