“Couture allows me to connect with the hopeful adolescent I once was, the one who decided to not go into medicine or finance or law, but to chase that singular fantasy that fashion can still provide,” shares Daniel Roseberry, the Creative Director of Schiaparelli. He’s detailing the recent Spring/Summer 2026 show entitled The Agony and The Ecstasy. It is here that he reminds us that couture is about unleashing imagination.
At Schiaparelli SS26, Couture is Led By Feeling, Not Form
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Photos courtesy of Schiaparelli.
This epiphany came to Roseberry during a creative retreat in Italy, where an awe-inspiring visit to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel changed his whole way of thinking. (I mean, that’s the power of art, isn’t it?). He brushed away the pressure of “looks” in favour of sensation. Reframing his mindset from “how does this look’ to instead “how do we feel when we make it”. This fiery mantra went on to fuel every ounce of this new collection.
While couture has rules, it’s up to the designer to decide how they will be pushed and modified. Across the collection, the atelier’s talent and craftsmanship shine through, with creative boundaries advanced in unison. Hand-cut lace and feathers, both real and trompe l’oeil, are hand-painted, airbrushed, or dipped in resin and crystals. Meanwhile, layers of neon tulle are stacked beneath lace to create a sfumato effect.
At Schiaparelli SS26, Couture is Led By Feeling, Not Form
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Photos courtesy of Schiaparelli.
The accessories carry omens such as artificial bird’s heads—sculptures made from silk feathers, with beaks of resin and eyes of pearl cabochons—allude to Elsa Schiaparelli’s well-known fascination with animals, particularly those of the sea and the sky.
To imbue everything with feeling, each look has a narrative “hook” or a name that subverts the surreal. Among them is “Isabella Blowfish”, an incredible skirt suit in layers of tulle and organza, dusted with crystal shadows in blowfish colourations and finished with organza spikes. Dare we say it lives up to its eccentric name? A humorous reminder that couture was never meant to play it safe.
Feature image courtesy of Schiaparelli.
