Questions about Elsa Schiaparelli’s surrealist house and its revival under Daniel Roseberry, answered from Ayerhs’s Schiaparelli couture and ready-to-wear reviews.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 31 October 2026
On this page: The house and its founder · The designers · The collections · The Ayerhs view
The house and its founder
Who was Elsa Schiaparelli?
An Italian-born designer, born in Rome in 1890, who opened her house in Paris in 1927. She first became famous for a black knitted sweater with a trompe-l’oeil white bow, and by the 1930s was Coco Chanel’s great rival. Where Chanel was practical, Schiaparelli was witty, artistic and strange. Her house closed in 1954; she died in 1973.
How was Schiaparelli connected to surrealism?
She worked directly with the surrealist artists. With Salvador Dalí she created the Lobster dress (1937), with a painted lobster on white silk, the Shoe hat, shaped like an upside-down high heel, and the Tears dress. Jean Cocteau designed embroideries for her. Fashion and art had rarely been this close.
Read on Ayerhs: The Blurring Line Between Fashion and Fine Art
What is shocking pink?
The intense magenta-pink Schiaparelli made her signature in 1937. It named her perfume, Shocking, whose bottle was shaped like a woman’s torso, and it is still the house’s colour today.
The designers
How was Schiaparelli revived?
The Italian businessman Diego Della Valle, chairman of the Tod’s Group, bought the dormant name in 2007. The house returned to couture in 2014, first under Marco Zanini and then Bertrand Guyon, before Daniel Roseberry arrived in 2019 and made it one of the most talked-about houses in Paris.
Who is Daniel Roseberry?
A Texan designer who spent a decade at Thom Browne before being named Schiaparelli’s artistic director in 2019. He brought Elsa’s surrealism back with gilded body parts, anatomical jewellery and red-carpet drama, including Lady Gaga’s dress for the 2021 US presidential inauguration. His couture is now one of the events of each Paris season.
Read on Ayerhs: Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry: Why this is important for fashion
The collections
What are Roseberry’s best Schiaparelli couture shows?
| Season | The idea | Review |
|---|---|---|
| Couture Spring 2021 | Gilded abs and sculpted power | Woman up |
| Couture Fall 2021 | Beauty, romance and effort | Review |
| Couture Spring 2022 | Surreal sci-fi and gold | Review |
| Couture Fall 2022 | Born again | Review |
| Couture Spring 2023 | Life-size faux animal heads, inspired by Dante’s Inferno | Carnivorous Chic |
| Couture Spring 2024 | Circuit-board couture | Motherboard Magic |
| Couture Spring 2026 | Creative risk, mastered | Review |
Does Schiaparelli make ready-to-wear?
Yes. Alongside couture, Roseberry shows ready-to-wear in Paris. Spring 2026 turned surrealism into something you can wear, and Fall 2026 balanced surreal fantasy with real clothes.
Read on Ayerhs: Fall 2025 · Spring 2026 · Fall 2026
The Ayerhs view
Why does Schiaparelli matter now?
Because Roseberry proved a dormant name could become essential again by taking real creative risks. Ayerhs argued as early as 2020 that his arrival was important for fashion; six years of couture later, he has mastered the art of creative risk.