Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2024-25 Ready-to-Wear – Surreal Details with the Intricate Charm of Swoon-Worthy Couture

Text: Jesse Scott

Schiaparelli’s Fall/Winter 2024/25 Ready-to-Wear show was defined by impeccable detail; Daniel Roseberry continued his streak of stellar collections by crafting a complete wardrobe that brought luxurious touches of haute couture to the ready-to-wear runway. Roseberry demonstrated that he is a master of all materials - from faux fur to crocodile to the denim that references his Texas roots and has dominated the catwalk in recent seasons. He wove a cohesive story that moves from sporty mornings to glamorous nights. Athletic-style loungewear, fierce leather jackets, and shimmering evening dresses were all presented with a certain je ne sais quoi that hewed closely to Schiaparelli’s DNA while maintaining a modern sensibility.

Since the brand’s birth almost 100 years ago, Schiaparelli collections have contained complex allusions and conversed with the cultural flashpoints of the time. Puzzles were a major theme this season, as evidenced by the large and irregular “scales” on a tan faux crocodile jacket. A puzzle-piece pattern emerged from a bag of the same material, as did the Schiaparelli key motif.

Meanwhile, Roseberry introduced a bold black puffer that was distinctly 'of the moment,' tastefully adorned with nipple buttons and a six-pack ab design. Roseberry demonstrated the versatility of faux fur by pairing it, in an elegant fox hue, with leather and denim alike. He also proposed masterful modern interpretations of the classic silhouette through a pair of timeless black and white evening dresses that marked an aesthetic departure from the rest of the collection but seemed to have leaped off the screen of an Audrey Hepburn film.

Roseberry evidently takes great delight in designing the details of each piece. Buttons were protagonists of the collection, spelling “Schiap” on a double-breasted navy peacoat, and bringing the signature Schiaparelli key and ear leitmotifs to a variety of garments. Schiaparelli has been intimately connected to surrealism since its founder collaborated with Salvador Dali, a theme that Roseberry has enthusiastically embraced. This season, gilded lips adorned a belt buckle, a jeweled face smirked from the cuff of a leather jacket, and trompe de l’oeil toes encased a pair of simple black boots. Circular gold medallions on leather jackets recalled ancient coins (and the glory of ancient empires); the embroidery on a casual sweater was reminiscent of rococo and Louis XIV.

Two pieces of headwear were particularly iconic: a winter hat referenced a glove while jeweled eyes glimmered from the back of an elegant riding cap. Embroidery and fringes also starred. Roseberry made several tongue-in-cheek references to his production process, playing on themes of deconstruction by embroidering a tape measure detail on the lapel of one blazer and including prototype-style stitching on a simple black top.

Each detail across the collection was impeccably and meticulously chosen. Roseberry eschewed a standardized approach to fastenings and trimmings, leaving no seam neglected or button unconsidered in ensuring that individual components of each garment were as memorable and as powerful in advancing the narrative of the collection, as the whole that they comprised. He even caused us to reconsider the versatility of classic materials, most notably by incorporating supple and delicate fringes in a short denim shirt.

In a time where many brands angle for shock value and social media clout with dramatic productions and clothes that double as contemporary art, Schiaparelli provides a masterclass in balancing innovation and tradition in a way that is both sophisticated and spectacular.

The Fall/Winter 2024/25 Ready-to-Wear collection possessed strong shades of couture. Timelessly elegant, produced from only the finest materials, and designed with a perfectionist’s attention to detail, it is for a discerning and fierce modern woman whose classical grace and rebellious inclinations towards avant-garde sensibilities allow her to move effortlessly between the scenes of high society. Swoon-worthy, and unpredictable, it leaves us eagerly anticipating where Roseberry takes the maison next.