Schiaparelli opens Haute Couture Week with a suspended moment in the depths

Daniel Roseberry scaled new heights by plunging into the depths. Opening Paris Haute Couture Week on Monday, the American designer embarked on a journey that was as much a creative exploration as it was a technological one, presenting a nuanced, dreamlike, and imaginative showcase.

A few minutes before the show, excitement was in the air at the entrance to the monument built for the 1900 World’s Fair, as a host of personalities and stars climbed the building’s immense staircase- Michelle Yeoh, Emma Corrin, and Bad Bunny, accompanied by his brother- sending the decibels soaring. Christian Louboutin, Law Roach, Sidney Toledano, and Delphine Arnault- the cream of luxury’s giants and leading editors- also took their places in the grand gallery, where a vast mirror served as a luminous catwalk, reflecting Georges Picard’s murals.

Marisa Berenson, Elsa Schiaparelli’s granddaughter, appeared radiant in a stunning, form-fitting black gown, elegantly supporting its train with a gold chain clasped at arm’s length. Fittingly, she seated herself beneath the fresco The Triumph of Woman. And that Monday morning, the triumph also belonged to the 30 women gliding languidly to the rhythm of an ensemble of muted bass, haunting violins, and sonorous chants conceived by Ben Brunnemer.

Daniel Roseberry titled this Autumn-Winter 2026–27 haute couture collection “The Call of the Void.” But it was not so much into the void as into the abyss that the designer led the spellbound audience. In January, his work on “The Agony and the Ecstasy” captivated the industry with its finesse, its explorations, and its creativity. In his show notes, the American writes that he tried to replicate that winning formula- to no avail. “I entered a vicious cycle that rejected every possibility and plunged me into great distress, where nothing new could emerge,” he explains. “By trying to control the creative process and ignoring what the French call ‘the call of the void,’ I stifled not only my own creativity but also the work itself. Formulas are the antithesis of the magic of creation, which can only manifest itself through total surrender to the unknown.”

Given the imagination on display on this sunlit Monday, it is hard to believe his creativity was ever constrained. A profusion of ideas, subtle flights of fancy, and meticulous details abound in this collection inspired by marine organisms, where each silhouette showcases remarkable finesse and consummate craftsmanship. Daniel Roseberry explores them to the full in sheer black lace boxer shorts embroidered with knitted floral motifs and pearls; in a pale pink lace dress with tone-on-tone pleated georgette worn by Amelia Gray; and in the look titled “A Dress Over a Dress,” which, from the front, presents a strapless gown embroidered with silver thread, pearls, crystals, and seashells. From behind, however, it reveals a micro-pleated white crepe dress where a lace corset composes a face. This is surely the show’s greatest achievement: the designer and his creative teams succeeded in weaving a multitude of innovations into the construction of the silhouettes, probing the possibilities of new materials to first captivate the audience and then heighten the sensation of plunging into a new world.

“Haute couture has always transformed the ordinary into the extraordinary. Here, this transformation invites us to move beyond so-called ‘noble’ materials and ask whether beauty resides in the material itself, or in the imagination capable of reinventing it. We have combined haute couture techniques with synthetic materials: instead of traditional silks, satins, and wools, we used latex, silicone, and oven-baked sheets of paint later sculpted into silhouettes. We have also challenged some of the house’s iconic codes. At Schiaparelli, our codes are never relics to be preserved behind glass.”

It was a bold gamble, given how readily technological innovation can seem at odds with the delicacy of artisanal savoir-faire. Not so at Schiaparelli. LEDs are subtly integrated into bustiers to mimic the bioluminescence of deep-sea organisms, while latex and silicone blend naturally into the silhouettes, catching the eye yet conjuring a new sensuality- a new generation of delicate armour for powerful women. And the almost indefinable textures align perfectly with an arresting approach to biomimicry.

Here, one black latex jacket lets large tentacles unfurl, paired with ultra form-fitting trousers in the same material; elsewhere, a tulle dress is covered in silicone dots and, through its tonal variations and sculptural construction, evokes a jellyfish; and another astonishing gown conjures living coral on the ocean floor. According to the house, this piece required more than 9,850 hours of work. It consists of a moulded bustier in coral-coloured jersey covered in coral-coloured lacquered silicone. It is then adorned with flesh-coloured horsehair tentacles and miniature bouquets. The entire piece was crafted and embroidered by hand. Here, technical prowess yields to a dreamlike vision.

“This is the result of the work of our atelier teams, who explored the opportunities offered by these new materials. For the house, this meant a great deal of experimentation and required extensive collaboration with engineers and specialists to determine the optimal silicone densities and integrate these technologies as effectively as possible. What’s wonderful is that we now have the expertise to best meet our clients’ expectations,” Delphine Bellini, CEO of the brand founded in 1927 and owned by Diego Della Valle since 2007, told FashionNetwork.com with a radiant smile. “It was a challenge because the teams only started working on the project four to five months ago.”

The perfect expression of this modern success for a house soon to celebrate its centenary surely lies in Daniel Roseberry’s final offering. This dress features a moulded bustier in white enamelled silicone, giving a porcelain effect. At the back, lacing details link to the white fringed skirt, which reveals a warm yellow glow through fine, luminous threads. The accessories underscore the harmony of the composition- brooches, earrings and a ring, as well as bags and shoes, including the new Bubble model, that blend gold with coral and seashells, evoking anemones and sea urchins.

A desirable and innovative proposition for the house, it underscores a forward-looking approach. In a luxury market seeking new engines of growth, the CEO affirms the house’s rising prominence. In fact, she has just doubled the size of its concept space within the Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York.

“We expanded this space by applying the concept Daniel Roseberry originally envisaged at Harrods- a stroll through a Schiaparelli apartment leading all the way to the bathroom,” notes the executive. While the house is careful to preserve the exclusivity of its products and its interactions with clients, Delphine Bellini confirms it will soon announce further installations of this kind, designed to stage and spotlight the delicate work of Daniel Roseberry and his ateliers.