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The Phoenix Reborn: Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 by Daniel Roseberry
Heidi Truong
- Fashion Blogger -
At the vanguard of Haute Couture Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2024, Daniel Roseberry presents a collection that transcends mere fabric and thread to touch the sublime. Schiaparelli’s latest offerings are not just garments; they are ethereal visions sculpted in the lofty realms of high fashion.
The much-anticipated Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 unfolds as a reverent ode to the enduring interplay of art and fashion. Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s vivid portrayals of transformative art, the collection is aptly named “THE PHOENIX.” It serves as a testament to the indomitable spirit of Elsa Schiaparelli’s legacy, which, like the mythical phoenix, is reborn from its ashes with renewed vigor and brilliance.
Roseberry narrates a poignant dream in his collection notes: "In a dream, I unearthed a forgotten haute couture collection in the basement of Elsa’s rustic home." This narrative weaves through the era of the 1920s and 30s when Schiaparelli's couture house reigned supreme across the global stage. Elsa Schiaparelli, the avant-garde maven, set the bar high for future fashion innovators with her unique creative lens. Her collaborations with icons like Salvador Dalí underscored her commitment to pushing the boundaries of avant-garde art and fashion.
n his visionary revival, Roseberry channels the essence of Elsa Schiaparelli, whom he depicts as an enigmatic figure whose designs captivated and scandalized the fashion industry with their bold, unapologetic rejection of conventional aesthetics. His latest collection, Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024, emphasizes this mission, with each piece crafted as a symbol of the phoenix, representing survival and resurgence.
Schiaparelli, ever the phoenix, has not vanished post-founder but instead retreated, awaiting the opportune moment to reemerge vibrant and alive. It was Daniel Roseberry who beckoned this storied French maison back from dormancy. At the Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 presentation, the fashion elite witnessed the resurrection of Elsa Schiaparelli’s legacy. Every garment, meticulously conceived, boasted daring silhouettes, precise craftsmanship, and emotions captured in impactful details, reflecting Hemingway’s robust yet restrained literary style.
Schiaparelli, ever the phoenix, has not vanished post-founder but instead retreated, awaiting the opportune moment to reemerge vibrant and alive. It was Daniel Roseberry who beckoned this storied French maison back from dormancy. At the Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 presentation, the fashion elite witnessed the resurrection of Elsa Schiaparelli’s legacy. Every garment, meticulously conceived, boasted daring silhouettes, precise craftsmanship, and emotions captured in impactful details, reflecting Hemingway’s robust yet restrained literary style.
On a sultry Monday morning in Paris, creative director Daniel Roseberry launched Haute Couture Week with dramatic flair. Opting out of the traditional grandeur of the Petit Palais, invitees to the Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 were led into a pitch-dark room beneath the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild. This space, long used for exquisite fashion displays, was transformed with a deep black carpet and dimly lit by three crystal chandeliers, conjuring a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of bygone couture spectacles. Roseberry, with a notably raspy voice, disclosed, "I have always aspired to conduct a show under Degas-inspired lighting; this was my moment. My goal was to craft an experience that felt profoundly cinematic."
The ambiance intensified with the melancholic strains of Nina Simone’s "Plain Gold Ring." Under the soft luminescence of the chandeliers, the Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 show commenced with a stunning black evening gown that stopped mid-calf, highlighted by its shimmering silver phoenix-winged shoulders—an explicit nod to an iconic look Elsa herself donned in the early 1940s. The opening model moved gracefully, engaging with the audience in a manner rarely seen in recent couture presentations.
From this phoenix motif, Daniel Roseberry expanded his avian exploration across the runway. The Schiaparelli Couture Spring 2025 show revealed regal "swans" inspired by the renowned series "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans," with garments ranging from snowy white to rich burnt orange. Roseberry effortlessly captured the charm of the wide, off-shoulder blouses of the 1940s and the delicately bow-tied dresses of the 1950s.
In his tenure at Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry has consistently demonstrated an artistic disregard for temporal boundaries. Yet, in a deliberate pivot, Schiaparelli Couture Fall 2024 finds Roseberry channeling the 1950s with precision and passion. “This collection is an homage to the freshness, simplicity, and enduring elegance of '50s fashion. Expect to see a deep reverence for the era’s defining silhouettes,” Roseberry articulates. The 1950s, often hailed as the zenith of haute couture, serves as a perfect tableau for Roseberry's expansive vision.
The collection includes a series of evening gowns that are both a celebration of and a challenge to traditional femininity—black dresses transformed to eschew the banal; one gown boasts a daring cutout filled with a mesh of twinkling black stars, while another sweeps the floor with its majestic train. Maggie Maurer, the eternal muse for Schiaparelli, graced the runway in a black gown that marries medieval austerity with futuristic robotics in its sleeve design. Roseberry contrasts these traditionally feminine forms with a men’s-inspired tuxedo, its shoulders boldly structured, its chest deeply carved, encircled by a necklace of gems.
Roseberry’s archival explorations include a nod to a 1938 piece and a reimagining of vintage footwear, now presented as modern nets encasing the face and collar, crowned with a 3D-printed rose replicated on a spiked satin cocktail dress. The collection subtly incorporates elements of surrealism with refined flair—a silk bustier dress with a bust crafted from high heels, and a series of gowns redefining the concept of ‘nude’ attire. The surrealist waists on these dresses echo the “Shocking” perfume bottle, a 1930s creation by Leonor Fini for Elsa Schiaparelli.
The show culminated as the defiant notes of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” resonated through the venue. The audience’s attention was captivated by the sculptural elegance of the evening gowns, their voluminous tulle skirts artfully arranged to reveal a hidden layer of pink diamond-studded luxury. Roseberry's designs evoke a sense of aged sophistication paired with youthful exuberance and a hint of rebellion. With each presentation, Schiaparelli challenges the norms of fashion, redefining what it means to engage with haute couture—a personal, intimate dialogue between the creator and the wearer, where each piece empowers its bearer to rise anew, akin to the mythical phoenix reborn.
