Haute Couture, in its purest sense, is a tireless quest for the sublime, a journey towards technical and aesthetic perfection that transcends time and space. At the presentation of Schiaparelli’s SS25 collection, under the direction of Daniel Roseberry, this concept was elevated to an almost mythical dimension, a cosmic journey in which the history of fashion is reinterpreted, reinvented and projected into an eternal future. Titled Icarus, the collection not only evoked the mythological figure of the young man who defied the sun, but, through its silhouettes and meticulous craftsmanship, it overflowed with imagination and perfection, as if it were a Renaissance work of art.
The legacy of the old
From the beginning of his creative process, Roseberry was drawn to the textures and hues of bygone eras, in a gesture of reverence for Europe’s textile heritage. His search began in a forgotten corner of Lyon, among spools of ribbon from the 1920s and 1930s, whose existence had been cut short by the devastating shadow of World War II. These relics of color—butter, saffron, peacock green, and a deep burnt brown—were the palette upon which Roseberry built his visual narrative. But beyond a simple nostalgic evocation, the designer wanted to go further: “To create something that feels new because it’s old,” he said, challenging the contemporary notion that modernity should be associated only with simplicity.
The grandeur of the past in modernity
The collection is not only a tribute to the great masters of fashion, but a reinterpretation of their ideals, a fusion between tradition and the audacity of the future. Roseberry immersed himself in the works of emblematic figures such as Madame Grès, Charles Frederick Worth, Paul Poiret, Yves Saint Laurent and Azzedine Alaïa, but instead of reproducing their silhouettes, the designer reinterpreted them with a personal and contemporary vision. The serpentine elegance of the 20s and 30s, known for its liquid and organic movement, was materialized in delicate silk georgettes, embroidered with Japanese beads, while corsets of unusual sophistication — molded into hip blades with vertiginously sharp lines — fused modernity with historical reference.
At the same time, the collection took the viewer on a revisiting of the Schiaparelli style of yesteryear: the severe shoulders so characteristic of the house’s early designs were transformed, elongated and softened into impeccably cut jackets, which were paired with floor-length, 1990s-style column skirts. This play on cross-references was not mere nostalgia, but a quest to connect the past with a present that, rather than following it, reconfigures it.
Technique as perfection
Haute couture is not just about shapes, but about technique. And in this sense, Schiaparelli’s SS25 collection exuded a virtuosity that can only be found in the most exclusive ateliers. Roseberry and his team worked tirelessly, elevating tailoring to a level of perfection bordering on the sublime. The layers of wool and cotton that covered toile corsets, the use of stretch silk satin to create a perfect structure, and experimentation with materials such as Ultrasuede embroidered with silk threads, made each piece a work of art.
The feathers, treated with glycerin and then brushed with keratin to achieve an unusual texture, evoked the fascination of 1930s film stars, while accessories such as shoes and bags were conceived as petits bijoux, exquisite luxury pieces, embroidered with techniques ranging from Matador laces to resin rosettes. Each of these details reflected not only unparalleled technical skill, but also an almost religious devotion to perfection.
Icarus: The search for the unattainable
The title of the collection, Icarus, is a reflection of the very nature of haute couture: an aspiration to reach for the unattainable, to soar as high as the sun allows. In Roseberry’s words: “Haute couture is by definition a quest for perfection. Each season feels like a quixotic struggle, a climb to an ever higher level of execution and vision.” And so, like the myth of Icarus, the collection not only looks to the heights, but challenges the boundaries of design, always seeking more, always better, beyond the possible.
For Daniel Roseberry, leading one of the most iconic maisons in the history of fashion is not only an honor, but also a monumental responsibility. The resurrection of Schiaparelli, a house whose name is associated with the surrealism of Elsa Schiaparelli, is a task that goes beyond simply creating clothes. It is a mission to preserve a legacy while projecting itself into the future, in a constant search to transcend the boundaries of art and aesthetics. And it does so with one certainty: haute couture promises to escape complicated reality, and it succeeds.
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