It is rare that a couture house is better known for what it does today than what it did a century ago. Dior, Chanel and Balenciaga are among the famous Parisian fashion labels to tap into their significant couture heritage to validate what they do now. However, Elsa Schiaparelli, who founded her maison in 1927 and shuttered it in 1954 after accruing large debts, is far less well-known.
Having lain dormant for 60 years, Schiaparelli was relaunched amid much excitement in 2012 by Italian fashion tycoon Diego Della Valle, chairman of Tod’s Group. Fabled guest designer Christian Lacroix was enlisted to create the initial collection, which was presented in Schiaparelli’s lovingly restored headquarters at 21, Place Vendome.
However, it wasn’t until American singer Lady Gaga appeared in a spectacular custom-designed outfit to sing at President Biden’s inauguration that the Schiaparelli name truly registered on the radar of anyone outside the fashion world. The designer of that dress was Texan Daniel Roseberry, the thoughtful, quietly spoken son of an Anglican minister who was appointed creative director of the house of Schiaparelli in April 2019.
Schiaparelli was a competitor of Gabrielle Chanel and one of the most revered fashion names in the first half of the 20th century. Her pioneering collaborations included tie-ups with surrealist artists such as Jean Cocteau, Man Ray and Salvador Dali. Her use of “shocking” pink and witty details including the shoe hat, lobster dress, trompe d’oeil tear dress and chest of drawer pocket details on tailoring are examples of her irreverent design vocabulary. These relationships are explored in Shocking! The Surreal World of Elsa Schiaparelli, an exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris that opened this summer and will run until January 22.
In only 25 years, Schiaparelli turned fashion into a natural expression of the avant garde. She embodied the vision of a bright and vibrant Paris, curious about everything and enjoying each novelty that came her way. In November 1934, Harper’s Bazaar pronounced her to be “the most daring and original talent in the French dressmaking world … with volcanic energy and a fantastically fecund sense of modern invention”.
When she died in 1973, Cristobal Balenciaga proclaimed her “the only real artist in couture”. Yves Saint Laurent similarly observed: “When she died, chic closed her eyes.”
Schiaparelli was not just a dressmaker, she was “a brand maker”, explains Roseberry, sitting in the almost bare white studio overlooking the bustling Place Vendome where he spent the weekends during the pandemic sketching alone, in what at the time felt like an abandoned city. He realises, in hindsight, that it was a privilege and an incredibly inspiring time to think about her heritage, almost as if the ghost of Schiaparelli was looking over his shoulder.
“Her legacy is incredibly modern — the house is complicated because her work is specific and singular, but is still very relevant today,” Roseberry says, pointing out that relaunches of storied houses don’t always work. Like Vionnet, he suggests, who created a methodology about how to cut a garment rather than a lasting vision.
Roseberry believes the exhibition at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs lays bare “Elsa’s contribution to fashion — she was the first person to cross fashion with pop culture, but with artists that were the pop culture of that time”.
In a contemporary world, the creative dialogue between fashion and art has become almost commonplace, but Schiaparelli was the first to start that conversation. Perhaps because of her background, she was drawn into the bohemian world of artists.
An aristocrat, she grew up in a Baroque palace in Italy surrounded by Italian renaissance and classical antiquity and, intellectually, that went on to be reflected in her collections. Her father was an academic who specialised in the Islamic world and Middle Ages, while her uncle was a renowned astronomer. Schiaparelli, therefore, felt far more comfortable in the company of artists than in the Parisian “society” of her time.
She was an outsider, something that Roseberry can relate to coming to Paris as a little-known designer from Texas, who had spent 11 years working in New York at Thom Browne, a designer who himself likes to play with surrealist concepts. “I can see that there is a freedom to being an outsider that gives you permission to play by the rules or not,” Roseberry says. “I think there is something about this outsider’s perspective, where mastering something that you were not raised with gives you a different perspective.”
The house has given him the freedom to be himself, and while constantly linking back to Schiaparelli, “there are also things that are uniquely and personally mine”, Roseberry says.
He initially launched into her madcap world with moulded tailoring and an evaluation of how he would approach the figure, something that has been part of his creative process since enrolling for life drawing classes at the age of 16. This focus on silhouette also relates to the famous hourglass body of Schiaparelli’s signature perfume bottle for Shocking, with a tape measure creating a trompe l’oeil detail that Roseberry has since reproduced on jackets.
However, it is the eye-catching jewellery featuring parts of the anatomy that has made people sit up and notice. His gold body castings, he admits, caused a visceral reaction in the fashion world. Referencing the oversized gilded jewellery of the 1930s, 1970s and 1980s, they include cast ears, eyes, teeth and nose jewellery, gold toes on black shoes and lung necklaces, which Bella Hadid famously wore with a scooped neckline dress to the Cannes Film Festival last year. They were the first surrealist tropes that could live in a modern environment — however, he is conscious that the joke can wear thin, so expect something fresh and different in seasons to come.
Overall, Roseberry has taken a very restrained approach to the extraordinary legacy that Elsa Schiaparelli left behind.
“It’s about wearing the heritage in the archives very lightly because they can become a great burden, I think. Visually they are so striking and so specific and it’s not even silhouette driven, it’s even more specific than that,” explains Roseberry.
He wants to rouse the same thrill at seeing something new that Schiaparelli did in her day, without endlessly mimicking her work. “I don’t think that is what she would have wanted today.” The exhibition features not only Schiaparelli’s archives, but also the work of designers such as Azzedine Alaia and John Galliano, who were inspired by the couturier, and of course pieces from Roseberry’s collections, including autumn/winter 2022, which featured the black velvet corset and pants with hand-painted flowers that Cate Blanchett wore to the Venice Film Festival last month, and Lady Gaga’s famous inauguration outfit.
Roseberry has only been at Schiaparelli three years, but beyond Lady Gaga, he has chalked up several memorable red carpet moments with stars such as Adele, Cardi B, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan. His personal favourite looks were Lady Gaga and Bella Hadid’s, along with the leather body-conscious dress Beyonce wore the night she set the record for the most Grammys won by a singer.
“I am so honoured to be part of that,” Roseberry muses, but also describes the exhibition opening, sharing a platform with the great Elsa Schiaparelli, as a “mind-blowing moment that will go down in memory”. It has been a remarkable trajectory for the man from Texas.
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
3%20Body%20Problem
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Benioff%2C%20D%20B%20Weiss%2C%20Alexander%20Woo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBenedict%20Wong%2C%20Jess%20Hong%2C%20Jovan%20Adepo%2C%20Eiza%20Gonzalez%2C%20John%20Bradley%2C%20Alex%20Sharp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE%20ILT20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMarquee%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMoeen%20Ali%2C%20Andre%20Russell%2C%20Dawid%20Malan%2C%20Wanindu%20Hasiranga%2C%20Sunil%20Narine%2C%20Evin%20Lewis%2C%20Colin%20Munro%2C%20Fabien%20Allen%2C%20Sam%20Billings%2C%20Tom%20Curran%2C%20Alex%20Hales%2C%20Dushmantha%20Chameera%2C%20Shimron%20Hetmyer%2C%20Akeal%20Hosein%2C%20Chris%20Jordan%2C%20Tom%20Banton%2C%20Sandeep%20Lamichhane%2C%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20Rovman%20Powell%2C%20Bhanuka%20Rajapaksa%2C%20Mujeeb%20Ul%20Rahman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInternational%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELahiru%20Kumara%2C%20Seekugge%20Prassanna%2C%20Charith%20Asalanka%2C%20Colin%20Ingram%2C%20Paul%20Stirling%2C%20Kennar%20Lewis%2C%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Brandon%20Glover%2C%20Ravi%20Rampaul%2C%20Raymon%20Reifer%2C%20Isuru%20Udana%2C%20Blessing%20Muzarabani%2C%20Niroshan%20Dickwella%2C%20Hazaratullah%20Zazai%2C%20Frederick%20Klassen%2C%20Sikandar%20Raja%2C%20George%20Munsey%2C%20Dan%20Lawrence%2C%20Dominic%20Drakes%2C%20Jamie%20Overton%2C%20Liam%20Dawson%2C%20David%20Wiese%2C%20Qais%20Ahmed%2C%20Richard%20Gleeson%2C%20James%20Vince%2C%20Noor%20Ahmed%2C%20Rahmanullah%20Gurbaz%2C%20Navin%20Ul%20Haq%2C%20Sherfane%20Rutherford%2C%20Saqib%20Mahmood%2C%20Ben%20Duckett%2C%20Benny%20Howell%2C%20Ruben%20Trumpelman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The five pillars of Islam
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
57%20Seconds
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rusty%20Cundieff%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJosh%20Hutcherson%2C%20Morgan%20Freeman%2C%20Greg%20Germann%2C%20Lovie%20Simone%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
12%20restaurants%20opening%20at%20the%20hotel%20this%20month
%3Cp%3EAriana%E2%80%99s%20Persian%20Kitchen%3Cbr%3EDinner%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EEstiatorio%20Milos%3Cbr%3EHouse%20of%20Desserts%3Cbr%3EJaleo%20by%20Jose%20Andres%3Cbr%3ELa%20Mar%3Cbr%3ELing%20Ling%3Cbr%3ELittle%20Venice%20Cake%20Company%3Cbr%3EMalibu%2090265%3Cbr%3ENobu%20by%20the%20Beach%3Cbr%3EResonance%20by%20Heston%20Blumenthal%3Cbr%3EThe%20Royal%20Tearoom%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
more from Janine di Giovanni
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
ELECTION%20RESULTS
%3Cp%3EMacron%E2%80%99s%20Ensemble%20group%20won%20245%20seats.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20second-largest%20group%20in%20parliament%20is%20Nupes%2C%20a%20leftist%20coalition%20led%20by%20Jean-Luc%20Melenchon%2C%20which%20gets%20131%20lawmakers.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20far-right%20National%20Rally%20fared%20much%20better%20than%20expected%20with%2089%20seats.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20centre-right%20Republicans%20and%20their%20allies%20took%2061.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
