I wish to find soon in Rome the revived Schiaparelli brand. They might get the pret à porter in Gente soon also because it is owned by Diego della Valle, so with no doubt a Made in Italy griffe. I am reading right now a biography of Dora Maar. Everybody knows her as the lover of Pablo Picasso but She was not only that. She was a fantastic surrealistic photographer and Elsa Schiaparelli always chose her for the pictures.
The collection shown few days ago is the Haute Couture so the only way is to go the Head Quarters in Paris Place Vendome. Here is the philosophy of this fantastic fashion show: The style of a woman comes from her spirit and personality. In the case of Elsa Schiaparelli, hers crystalized a femininity of cosmopolitan refinement. From her Mediterranean origin, she went on to live in London and New York before establishing herself in the City of Light – a true Parisian at heart. Her traveling life together with a fanciful sense of humour, a passion for dogs and an equal love for fine art as well as trinkets sum up her eclecticism and emancipated attitude. The Haute Couture collection transcends her wardrobe of neat allure where daily elegant sobriety gives way to a night time sensuality imbued with opulence and fantasy.
Daytime is essentially dark and obsessively adorned with the house symbols of butterflies, Ursa Major and padlocks. Silhouettes are graphic yet feature sunny highlights or touches of leopard. Fitted jackets are cut with small shoulders, narrow sleeves and maxi, 3D pockets. Embellished with contrasted embroideries, precious buttons and gold jewellery, the body-enhancing tailoring outlines the Schiaparelli signature.
Nighttime is definitely colourful and decidedly lavish with dresses mixing the unexpected and daring. Pure lines and liquid-looking draping enhance curves and unveil skin. Savoir-faire fuses rock crystal, coloured stones, leopard, deer, birds, dogs and blooms in a munificent manner. They blend Elsa Schiaparelli’s aesthetic of a rich interior decoration and a taste for fauna and flora.
The prowess of the atelier infuses grace and poetry into the collection with white cock feathers, a multi-coloured nylon neo-faux fur, a zebra jacquard, ethereal lace and incandescent embroideries. The essence of shocking pink and amethyst indigo, the depth of black and the sheen of metal define the true colour palette of Schiaparelli always playing with light and shadow. The creative director Bertrand Guyon is full of talent, He loved the Schiaparelli code such as the shocking pink, the animals, her artistic mood.
