For the Schiaparelli Spring 2018 Haute Couture collection, the brand praises the work of the hand as it transforms ordinary synthetic or natural materials into ethereal sensuality. The prowess of the atelier infuses poetry into linen, raffia, nylon and plastic shopping bags when woven with silk, embroidered with Swarovski mother-of-pearl beads or braided with feathers. Fresh yet strong silhouettes play with infinite textures.

Schiaparelli and Swarovski continue their collaboration telling this season a story of mother-of-pearl and colourful multi-facetted crystal beads.

Everything started with a Lesage embroidery swatch from Fall 1940 Schiaparelli Haute Couture collection featuring mother-of-pearl flowers. The embroidery came on a black dress that Elsa Schiaparelli owned and later donated to London’s V&A.

Today, Schiaparelli design director Bertrand Guyon designs a wedding dress sprinkled with irises – one of Elsa Schiaparelli’s favourite flowers. Each bloom is embroidered once again by Lesage following the same original technique yet embellished with silver plate, Swarovski multi-facetted crystals and silver metal thread. The long ivory silk crepe cape-gown is scattered with 54,795 Swarovski crystal-hearted mother-of-pearls.

Further to Schiaparelli history of innovative materials, Bertrand Guyon collaborated with an independent female textile designer to create checked knitwear made of nylon yarn intertwined with Swarovski multi-facetted crystal beads. The exclusive savoir-faire merges 3D embroidery with almost invisible knitwear. Transparent, light and soft, it gives traditional knitting an unexpected volume and contemporary texture. Illuminated by a tartan of black jet and grege beads of over 2.4 million facets, the ruffled dress, made of this hybrid material, seems to defy gravity.

Watch behind the scenes as Schiaparelli welcomes its guests to the Haute Couture show at its legendary address 21, place Vendôme.