Shocking in Paris! Schiaparelli Haute Couture, why not?

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I don’t know about you, but my day certainly could use some fantasy, frivolousness, whimsy, and eccentric charm.

Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week is generally a gorgeous snooze fest since Christian Lacroix no longer shows. But Marco Zanini in his second Schiaparelli Haute Couture foray for Fall/Winter 2014-15 embraces the flamboyant legacy of the designer who put shocking pink on the map.

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We’ve got all the Schiaparelli couture photos here for you to drool over. Don’t worry, none of us can probably ever afford these couture pieces, but we can’t afford to not consider to add a little zing to our outfit.

I’m loving the fashion flashback of the shocking pink palazzo pants, above, that remind me of a Norma Kamali suit that I once owned, along with some La Crasia slouch gloves, and a big satin blow blouse that was probably YSL… ahhhh, it’s looking so right again.  Get inspired!

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 In their words…

Schiaparelli Haute Couture

Fall/Winter 2014-15

After a 60-year sleep and a first season to awaken Elsa Schiaparelli’s eclectic personality, the house of Schiaparelli embraces today the richness of its legacy. This season reveals a bold, unconventional and flamboyant collection in the true sensational spirit of Elsa. Marco Zanini explores the confines of controlled excess by balancing mastered Haute Couture craftsmanship and absolute chic.

Fearless femininity and sophisticated elegance create a surprise. Confident with herself, the Schiaparelli woman is proud of her daring nature and fantasy. Her presence is an affirmation of her Parisian allure. Her strong personality translates into Hollywood Kodachrome vibrant colours, irreverent prints, exquisite embroideries, architectural tailoring and glamorous flou. The verticality of the silhouette is showing an hourglass waist and a renewed strong shoulder line.

Oscillating between femme fatale and hard chic, each piece is mesmerizing by its seductive savoir-faire. Glycerine-glazed black ostrich feathers make a bolero resembling monkey fur. Mixing high and low is the essence of Schiaparelli. Precious alligator hand-worked to look like chiffon contrasts with multi-coloured lamé fringed faux fur. Silk velvet gowns come in Balade nocturne’s cavalcade of rats in black jacquard or in shocking pink, the only shade of pink with the nerve of a red.

Witty hand-painted prints play with urban mundane animal motifs and screen- or chain-printing traditional techniques: Dans les ombres du jardin (night butterflies against ivy leaves), Les Amis d’Elsa (fox-terriers, boxers and poodles), Central Park (squirrels and rats) and Les pigeons de Notre-Dame (flying pigeons).

Jewellery in the shape of ivy leaves, pierced hearts and night butterflies are reminiscent of Elsa’s lexicon. In melted glass, crystal, copper and brass, they echo handcrafted bejewelled buttons. The nonchalant opulence of the look is pushed to its extreme with Suite N.7 clutches in alpaca, breitschwanz or harlequin mink adorned with a 1938-embroidery turned into a golden lock.

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