That could have been a major headache for Marco Zanini when he presented that “difficult second” collection for Schiaparelli this morning in Paris. His first for the house back in January after a 60 year hibernation – the label’s, not his – was such a buffet of Schiaparelli treasures and tropes, there was always a risk he’d used them all up.
“In fact her references are inexhaustible”, he said after a show that was exemplary both in length and content.
He would say that of course. Yet compared with Chanel’s legacy – the 2.55, the boucle suit, the LBD, the trimmed knits, the co-respondent sling-backs, the Breton – Schiaparelli’s wardrobe has tended to look bare, once stripped of all the surreal motifs and gimmicky hats. Or at least that was always the received opinion.
But Zanini appears to have found a joyous chic that’s all the more elegant for hovering half-way between Schiap’s playful absurdism and her severe angularity. Read more.
