From Ribbon to Reverence
Get an exclusive look at Schiaparelli‘s innovative Spring 2025 couture fashion show from the runways of Paris Couture Fashion Week, held in January 2025.
By Mackenzie Richard
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Quite Triumph, Womanly Sculptures, & Timeless Modernity
Under Daniel Roseberry’s creative helm, Schiaparelli has become synonymous with daring beauty, an alchemy of historical reverence and fearless invention. For Spring 2025, Roseberry posed a bold question: has our fixation on modernity cost us our imagination? Titled Icarus, the collection offered a resounding answer, bridging the storied grandeur of couture’s past with a strikingly contemporary sensibility.
This season’s focus was ribbons—a seemingly humble starting point transformed into a poetic anchor for the collection. Sourced from the 1920s and 1930s, these relics of history inspired a series of silhouettes that felt timeless and profoundly womanly. From fluid, bias-cut gowns to corseted forms with razor-sharp hip blades, the collection played with the idea of “liquid deco,” evoking a quiet elegance that still carried edge. Roseberry’s references to figures like Madame Grès and Yves Saint Laurent never felt derivative; instead, they were lessons masterfully absorbed and reimagined for the present.
What set this collection apart was its cohesiveness. Each look spoke to the next, a narrative unfolding in a palette of “toast,” “mink,” and saffron that felt warm, yet undeniably luxurious. There was a lightness to the collection, a kind of ease that belied its intricacy. Feathers brushed with keratin, ultrasuede embroidered with satin thread, and satin cuir adorned with trembling quartz droplets demonstrated the house’s unparalleled craftsmanship. And yet, nothing felt overwrought. It was a collection that pulled you in with its refinement and kept you with its quiet complexity.
At its core, Icarus was a meditation on how the past can elevate the present. Roseberry showed us that extravagance and modernity are not opposing forces; they are complementary. In an industry that often equates newness with minimalism, this collection was a gentle rebellion, embracing the baroque without losing sight of contemporary relevance. It was not about spectacle, but substance—about reminding us that beauty can be bold and intricate without being loud.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I’m so tired of everyone constantly equating modernity with simplicity: Can’t the new also be worked, be baroque, be extravagant? Has our fixation on what looks or feels modern become a limitation? Has it cost us our imagination?”
–Daniel Roseberry
In the backstage discussions, Roseberry expanded on the collection’s title, Icarus, referencing Stanley Kubrick’s reimagining of the myth. Kubrick once suggested, “Don’t worry about flying too close to the sun, just build better wings.”
This sentiment perfectly encapsulates Roseberry’s approach to couture—one that doesn’t shy away from audacity but seeks to perfect the craft in order to soar higher. It was a fitting metaphor for a collection that dared to look back at the intricate decadence of couture’s past while crafting something unmistakably modern. Roseberry’s work embodies this ethos, demonstrating that with the right vision and skill, even the most ambitious flights of creativity can succeed.
THE WRAP UP
With this collection, Roseberry continues to solidify Schiaparelli’s place at the vanguard of modern couture.
It was a quieter kind of triumph, one that demonstrated his ability to balance artistry and restraint. This is the Schiaparelli of today—fearless yet thoughtful, rooted in history yet forward-looking.
As Roseberry himself said, couture is “a climb,” a pursuit of ever-higher heights. With Icarus, he reminded us just how high imagination and craft can take us. And while the gods may have warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, one can’t help but feel that Schiaparelli’s future is destined to soar.
