Pointing to the uncertainty of the last couple of years, in a letter to accompany his Fall 2022 couture collection, Daniel Roseberry asks, “with regards to this Maison, what does surrealism mean when reality itself has been redefined?” The designer answered that question himself by creating a collection that’s more pared down in color (he used only black, white, and gold) and volume, but no less impactful and fanciful. “I realized that what felt exciting in this moment was something different, something restrained,” he says. “Suddenly, color felt wrong to me. So, did volume. All of the tricks that couture designers (including me) use to communicate grandeur and craftsmanship—big silhouettes, glorious poufs of fabric, huge volume—felt hollow.”
In short, when the world is too much, look to the heavens “as a place to escape from the chaos of our planet, but also the home of a mythical high priestess, at once goddess and alien, who might in fact walk among us.” That alien-priestess-goddess wears sharply tailored suiting, gilded cone bras that feel to be an homage to Jean Paul Gautlier, a long tailcoat in satin back faille, embroidered with the Apollo Fountain of Versailles. The Schiaparelli go-tos of the eyes, padlocks, the lobster, the dove, and individual body parts are set in gold, and made into sculpture, more works of art than simple dress. Roseberry finishes his letter by saying, “I design in order to make people feel something….we can be reminded why we love fashion—why I love fashion. It isn’t for the celebrities. It isn’t for the likes. It isn’t for the reviews. It’s because, when it’s done right, when it has something to tell us, it can help us feel the inarticulable. It’s because it still has the power to move us.”