Schiaparelli Spring 2026: 8,000 Hours, 65,000 Feathers, One Vision

Paris Couture Week

7 Feb

“Couture is an invitation. Stop thinking, it tells you. It’s time to feel. You only have to look up.” — Daniel Roseberry

Among the most striking moments of Schiaparelli’s Spring–Summer 2026 collection was a gown in shimmering green, its real peacock feathers crystal-dipped and layered over black tulle, each plume catching light like sunlight through a canopy. Another gown displayed the atelier’s technical imagination: 65,000 hand-applied silk feathers in twenty-seven shades of blue, sculpted into tiers that suggested wings mid-flight. From plumage shimmer to trompe-l’oeil tails, the collection became a conversation between nature and the atelier’s virtuosity.

Since arriving at Schiaparelli in 2019, Roseberry has revived a house known for its audacity and surrealist codes. He hasn’t simply replicated Elsa Schiaparelli’s archives; he translates them. Keyholes, anatomical references, and architectural shapes recur across silhouettes, often unexpectedly, yet always readable. The result is a house that feels both modern and faithful — bold but rigorous. This season, that principle extends to fantastical creatures: the “Scorpion Sisters” gowns, with tails curving from the back like exoskeletal extensions, the “Isabella Blowfish” jacket with crystal-dusted organza spikes evoking the blowfish’s form, and bird headss woven throughout the collection, each motif executed with meticulous care.

Jackets rose in wing-like collars or sculpted tails; gowns floated in layers of tulle and crin. Some feathers were real, others hand-painted silk. Pearls, crystals, and resin punctuated surfaces, sometimes as subtle glimmers, other times as sculptural flourishes: a bird’s eye here, a scorpion stinger there. Gloves, accessories, and even organza spikes became part of the layering, reinforcing the sense of motion. Each motif emphasized movement over literalism.

Hand-cut lace mounted in bas-relief. Tulle stacks and crin layers built to hold both shape and illusion. Gradients were airbrushed or painted. Organza spikes echoed the curve of a tail or wing. The work demanded precision and imagination in equal measure: couture at its most rigorous and expressive.

Color played its part in the drama. Greens and blues shimmered like exotic plumage; neon oranges and fuchsias flared like sparks. Muted tones of black, ivory, and taupe anchored the brightness, giving vibrancy shape and readability. Accessories reinforced each motif, from hand-sculpted bird heads to resin pufferfish forms. The maison’s signature asymmetrical satin mules, detailed with Keyholes, tied every ensemble together.

Roseberry has always designed for emotion first. This season, he proves it — 8,000 hours, 65,000 feathers, and countless sculpted forms at a time. Whether drawn from nature or imagined entirely by hand, each piece moved like a choreography of textures and forms, capturing the thrill of the house’s heritage while launching it into new, fantastical territories.