The act of presenting a new collection during International Women’s Day is one that if done with the typical approach of keen visuals with a tacked on and fleeting message of sisterhood or something as neat and disheartenedly minimal, can be a disappointing and forgettable notch on the bedpost of PR. With Daniel Roseberry at the helm at Schiaparelli, this is not a matter we have to concern ourselves with and the collection is all the better for it. Fresh off the success of his joyful collaboration with Lady Gaga for her inaugural ensemble, he imagines a world of superheroes curated by Edna Mode with the previously untouchable coolness of Paris in the 90s. Reworking the aesthetic of a superhero in leather and polished molten-looking metals, there is a distinct air of unabashed sensuality; the button up rave leather trousers in blue, the metal helmets sculpted as if in pursuit of a perfectly cast villain. Again exploring his signature duality between *insanely* cool silhouettes and tongue-in-cheek maximalist touches that revel in the joy of dressing up, it is so refreshing to me to see someone creating what they like and what they would love to see in the world with the passion of an idiosyncratic auteur. Rather than shying away from the explicit biology of the female, he makes the breast (yeah I said it) a key motif throughout in multiple forms and imaginings, particular favourites of mine being the molded black leather top and on a black sculpted two piece as golden fabric paired with a brilliant wide brimmed metal fascinator. The application of a seemingly pierced golden nipple as the fastening for the classic oversized coats is emblematic of the immense fun this collection is having. The mouth wateringly good thigh high leather platform boots with the 90s uniform of a dress shirt and black mini skirt? And possibly my favourite ensemble out of the entire thing - a heavenly velvet suit with golden ombre waves paired with a leather stomach plate embossed with a navel. Being completely honest, there is so much brilliant stuff happening in this collection that I will not be able to talk about all of it - the best collection I have seen during this entire season. An absolute feast.
