Paris couture: Schiaparelli

Bertrand Guyon’s third collection for Schiaparelli delved into the history of the storied house, drawing inspiration from the couturier’s influential Circus collection of 1938.

It lent itself well to a show full of sheen, shoulder and eccentricity.

Large surrealistic embroidered motifs sparkled with images of butterflies, circus balls, eyes, lips and one silver gown shimmered elegantly with a Ferris wheel set amid a funfair.

Elsa Schiaparelli, who died in 1973, famously mixed into her designs references to her great surrealist friends who included Salvador Dali.

Guyon stayed close to this heritage.

Like a flamboyant circus costume, a midnight velvet column dress sported exquisite straight, stiff arms that stood up squarely above the model’s physical shoulder. It cut a unique silhouette against a sheer midriff and a gold bar covering the nipples.

But the real devil was in the back detail.

Like in the ’30s, Schiaparelli’s heyday, backs were scooped, draped and accentuated in evening wear, drawing in the eye. It was a simple, yet effective formula.