As pared-back as their archetypal style might seem, the French are no strangers to surrealism. In fact, the artistic movement began in Paris back in 1917, and it has been woven into the fashion fabric of the city that couture calls home ever since. First came the provocative creations of Elsa Schiaparelli from the early 21st century. She embellished gowns with giant lobster illustrations and crafted hats that looked like upturned shoes. Her influence can be keenly felt today, most directly through the incredible work that Schiaparelli’s new(ish) creative director, Daniel Roseberry, is doing, reinterpreting the brand’s archive and moving forward with truly avant-garde ideas in what has become an otherwise fairly commercial world. Celebrities are hooked, and the fashion crowd has been too. So could it be the reason this Paris Fashion Week has seemed a little quirkier than usual? Have we all gotten the green light to start easing out of a very beige era and head into a more exuberant and experimental time?
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