At Schiaparelli, every collection begins with a question about what fashion can be. For Autumn Winter 2026, creative director Daniel Roseberry titled the show “The Sphinx.” The reference is precise. In mythology the sphinx guards knowledge and poses riddles. Roseberry used the figure as a way of thinking about the contradictions that have always shaped the house.
The timing of the collection gives that idea particular weight. In a few weeks the Victoria and Albert Museum will open Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art, a major retrospective dedicated to Elsa Schiaparelli. Elsa was one of the first designers to treat fashion as a conceptual medium. A dress could carry drawer pulls on its pockets, hinting at hidden dimensions of the psyche. Another could display an embroidered skeleton, revealing the body beneath the surface. These gestures questioned the idea that clothing exists only to flatter or decorate.
That tension sits at the centre of Roseberry’s work today. Fashion remains a global business built on product, scale and desirability. It is also one of the most immediate forms of self expression. Both realities coexist. The sphinx becomes a symbol of that paradox.
The runway reflected that balance. The silhouettes carried a strong sense of control. Tailoring anchored much of the show, with sharply cut jackets and coats establishing a disciplined structure. Black dominated the palette, with gold and ivory tones appearing in evening looks. The restraint allowed the craftsmanship of the garments to come forward.
Across the collection, surrealist gestures appeared in measured moments. A keyhole as inverted neckline, accessories introduced sculptural elements that echoed the house’s long dialogue with art. Gold jewellery appeared in fragments of the body and abstract forms, continuing a visual language that has become synonymous with Schiaparelli.
Roseberry understands the mythology of the house he leads. Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with surrealist artists such as Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau, turning fashion into a playground for symbolism. Her garments invited interpretation. They suggested that clothing could operate as an idea.
“The Sphinx” extends that conversation into the present. The collection asks what happens when fashion attempts to inhabit two worlds at once. On one side stands the industry with its demand for product and visibility. On the other stands the enduring desire to use clothing as a vehicle for imagination.
The answer, for Schiaparelli, is that the tension itself becomes the point. The sphinx never offers a simple explanation. It presents a puzzle and waits for the viewer to decide how to read it.
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