By Jesse Scott
If Daniel Roseberry’s SS26 couture show for Schiaparelli flirted with mythological and biblical narratives, his ready-to-wear AW26 show fully embraced them. Entitled the Sphinx, the collection took us on a fantastical journey through the birds and the beasts to find a ferocious female protagonist - one who makes fearless fashion choices and could not care less what the world thinks.
To that point, Roseberry created the shoe of the season by giving an entirely new meaning to the term “kitten heel.” Hand-sculpted cat faces rendered on pumps with resin and felt elicited gasps from the star-studded front row as they appeared on the runway in Look 24. Complete with whiskers and snarling teeth, the pumps were a natural evolution of Roseberry’s bird beak shoes from the couture collection. They also perhaps best exemplified the tension “between fashion as a business and fashion as a dream factory” that was referenced in the show notes. Simultaneously a surrealist fantasy and certain to be among the collection’s best-selling pieces, they proved that creativity and self-expression need not be compromised just to achieve commercial success in a challenging industry.
Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2026 Ready-to-Wear: Look 24 (Image courtesy of Schiaparelli)
Roseberry mused to guests that Elsa Schiaparelli was “the first designer to question the medium of fashion itself. To Elsa, a dress wasn’t just a dress. A dress could have drawer pulls on its pockets, symbolizing the hidden dimensions of the female psyche.” For Roseberry, whether it be the kitten heels, the anatomical totem heels in Look 27, or boots with heels inspired by bird claws in Look 25, a shoe is most definitely not just a shoe. And, as bust and dove-shaped belt buckles inspired by Giacometti’s sculptures illustrated, a belt is not just a belt either. Schiaparelli is for those who dare to dream, and the Roseberry vision seems to get richer and more layered season after season.
Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2026 Ready-to-Wear: Looks 25, 27 (Imagery courtesy of Schiaparelli)
A-List Front Row Wears Head-to-Toe Roseberry
As usual, Schiaparelli was one of the most exclusive shows on this Paris Fashion Week calendar. An A-List-only front row arrived dressed in head-to-toe Roseberry, from Tatiana Korsakova in a sculptural gold bust to Chiara Ferragni in an elegant white jacket to rom Valentina Zenere in a variation of the feathered dress made famous by Kendall Jenner last fall. All seemed thrilled by what they saw on the runway, which was defined by sculptural texture play and trompe l’oeil details. Look 3, a top and skirt set made of nude wool and cashmere, was covered with surprising cutouts undulating like ripples. Look 4 was made of transparent organza pleated in a way that resembled snakeskin. And Look 11 debuted what Roseberry refers to as “impossible knitwear,” as Aran cable knit alternated with transparent tulle to create what was seemingly a gravity-defying dress.
Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2026 Ready-to-Wear: Looks 3, 4, 11 (Image courtesy of Schiaparelli)
Roseberry Makes Retro Revolutionary
Every collection sees Roseberry amaze us with at least one ensemble that forces us to suspend disbelief and reconsider limits within garment construction. For Autumn/Winter 2026, it was the shimmering Look 45. The silver skirt was made from an astounding 10,200 CDs laser cut into paillettes, not to mention 45,672 beads and rhinestones and 776 meters of antique silver cord. Meanwhile, the equally dazzling jacket was embroidered with strands of cassette tape. At a time when most designers are racing to discover new technologies, Roseberry made retro chic in a revolutionary way that only he could have dreamed up.
Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2026 Ready-to-Wear: Look 45 (Image courtesy of Schiaparelli)
The collection was not all hits. A number of trompe l’oeil pieces which saw fabric resembling fur, for example Looks 29 and 41, begged the question: “do we really need faux faux fur?” But these were balanced by the spectacular use of shearling on Looks 30 and 31, ensembles for the modern warrior woman. Shearling jewelry and bags starred as well, allusions to Elsa’s love of monkey fur. And golden egret claws appeared on everything from bags to shirts, continuing Roseberry’s love affair with the avian world that was so prominent this past couture season.
Schiaparelli Fall/Winter 2026 Ready-to-Wear: Look 29, 30, 31 (Image courtesy of Schiaparelli)
The show closed with two deadly sheaths of black laminated tree bark-pleated satin that dripped down the body seductively as if glistening rivulets of oil. Two of my favorite looks from the collection, they epitomized the timeless silhouettes, structural precision, and revolutionary techniques that have defined the Roseberry era - and Elsa’s era one hundred years before him. “Schiaparelli has always been radical. But it’s never been radical to the point of alienating its women,” Roseberry closed the show notes. “And maybe that’s the ultimate legacy of what Elsa built: clothes that made women feel more alive with the dream of who they were…while also feeling comfortable with who they actually were.” It’s a legacy that Roseberry is both protecting and continuing. Feminine, yet as fierce as the kitten heels she wears, the Schiaparelli woman rules yet another season.