Roseberry’s Precision Cuts Through Couture Noise

In a runway-style corridor lined with marble columns, the audience’s chatter fades as the lights dim. A sharp-shouldered figure emerges in a cropped blazer studded with grape clusters, a gold V-shaped corset, and a wide-brim straw boater hat. For a moment, the audience squints, unsure whether they have entered a fashion show or a divine ritual – a foreshadowing of the collection’s devotion to precision, discipline, and sacred symbolism.

For Daniel Roseberry, fantasy isn’t decoration; it’s the house’s pulse. Schiaparelli’s identity, shaped by Elsa’s Salvador Dalí-inspired surrealism, thrives on wit, shock value, and spectacle. In the role of creative director, Roseberry sought to reimagine Schiaparelli’s surrealist identity through purity and human anatomy. Raised in Plano, Texas, by his priest father and artist mother, Roseberry developed an eye for both structure and imagination. After studying at FIT and spending a decade with Thom Browne, he became Schiaparelli’s creative director in 2019. By Fall/Winter 2022, Roseberry had crystallized his mission: transforming Schiaparelli’s surrealist spectacle into a discipline rooted in architecture and religious allegory.

Though Roseberry receives much of the current acclaim, his work is inseparable from Elsa Schiaparelli’s legacy of anatomical motifs, visual wit, and eccentricity. His precision-driven couture pays homage to her surrealism while modernizing its construction. Even so, his work isn’t defined solely by surrealism, as his ethos is more concerned with beauty than with succumbing to industry pressures to spark constant socio-cultural commentary.

Roseberry has said, “What’s wrong with wanting to make beautiful things?” – a line that he posted on Instagram following the Fall/Winter 2022 show. This guiding philosophy captures the inspiration behind the collection, in which the use of religious iconography, gilded ornamentation, and anatomical elements blurs the distinction between humans and the divine. According to AnotherMag, “Roseberry seems to have the best of both worlds – namely, a French eye when it comes to the precision of couture detailing and fit, and an American aptitude for extravagance and theatricality.” This duality is reflected in the collection’s spiritually-charged symbolism, from doves perched on shoulders to botanical motifs, and a rich jewel-toned color palette, all of which balance opulence with meticulous construction.

Unveiled in 2022, as fashion returned to in-person shows, the collection marked a shift from hyper-surrealist theatrics toward structure and control. Looking back at Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2021 tongue-in-cheek collection, noted for its lacquered corsets sculpted into idealized superhero abs and velvet dresses covered in bejeweled chicken drumsticks, Roseberry began reevaluating whether the abundance of irony was appropriate for transitioning into the post-pandemic era. Instead, he wanted the overall energy to align with a sense of practicality rather than the fantastical imaginations people had been trapped in during lockdown.

Roseberry used sharp-shouldered silhouettes, sheer fabrics, and body-contouring corsets to express this shift. Fluid draping and bias cuts softened the rigor, creating a tension between human precision and celestial looseness. A palette of jewel tones, black, off-white, and gold heightened the ethereal mood, echoed by pearlescent accents and materials such as silk, velvet, wool blends, feathers, and iridescent thread. This is underscored by hats that resemble halos, celestial ear climber earrings, and the use of crosses in the accessories. Repeated motifs – gold hardware, white doves, florals, and ornate embroidery – reinforced the collection’s sacred, almost ceremonial narrative.

Three looks exemplified this sacred-sensual balance. In this, one look features a black velvet choker connected to gold chains adorned with crystal beading that cascade down both arms like celestial armor, each strand catching the light as the model struts, exposing a bare midsection before meeting the low-waisted black trousers. Another presents a black lace triangle bralette paired with an ivory bias-cut slip dress that falls at the midsection in a series of soft ripples, with hyper-realistic, gold heels sculpted to resemble human toes in an almost unsettling way. The third look offers a rich indigo velvet coat with a daring front-plunge asymmetrically adorned with bundles of 3D floral appliqués featuring sherbert-colored lilies, periwinkle hydrangeas, and cream wildflowers, signaling a sense of rebirth, grounded by black pumps with rectangular gold hardware. Collectively, these silhouettes showcase Roseberry’s ability to convey the body as both a symbol of desire and power.
Beyond the clothes themselves, the minimalist set – a single runway in the middle of the museum – let each look to command full attention. Live piano and violin created an almost Catholic-inspired score, amplifying the sense of reverence. To further prevent any distractions, Roseberry ensured that each hairstyle was slicked back, with the only defining aspect of the makeup being a bold red lip.

Roseberry's greatest strengths lie in his restraint – in the way tailored, architectural shapes replace the fantasy-driven surrealism of earlier seasons while still allowing Elsa’s anatomically inspired motifs to surface. This dedication to preserving historic influences while implementing modern elements helps establish his legitimacy as a 21st-century couture designer.

Others argue that this restraint risks losing the wit and irreverence that defined Elsa Schiaparelli – that, in prioritizing symbolism and structure, the collection feels more suited to critics than to show-goers and social media viewers, and that subtle messaging cues such as the gilded vinework and ethereal silhouettes are accordingly lost. This collection shows how a historic house can evolve without abandoning its roots – an example that other creative directors carrying the weight of legacy may look to. Ultimately, Schiaparelli's Fall/Winter 2022 show reframes the house’s surrealist legacy through the lens of beauty as a discipline – a reminder that couture’s value can lie in craft alone, not commentary.