One word: epic. And Daniel Roseberry does it very nicely at Schiaparelli. Even before the show began at the Petit Palais, Kylie Jenner with faux obv. lion’s head and Doja Cat in top-to-toe tiny red paillettes had dialed things up. Entitled Inferno – hence the devilish Doja – Dante’s 1308 poem The Divine Comedy had inspired Roseberry. And while the themes of doubt, torment and risk taking were explored by its creator these looks were emphatically fantastical. Accomplished. Expert. Exquisite. The leopard, the lion (hence Jenner) and the she-wolf of the original poem representing lust, pride and avarice were faux-taxidermied into amazing looks made by hand from foam, and resin and worn by the originals Shalom Harlow and Naomi Campbell. Irina Shayk in the mix too. The program notes delivered a thoughtful inner wrestling with the nature of creativity on Roseberry’s part but here it all was, excellence, a wonderland of look after look that erupted in a standing ovation. From theose secretly corseted waists in the expertly tailored jackets to the sculptural, this couture explored textures of broken glass, shell marquetry plastron, brass keyhole detailing, and rooster feathers. It was awesome.
Photography courtesy of Schiaparelli.