It was just past 7 PM on Thursday night when a handful of fashion insiders and celebrities alike—Jennifer Lopez, Gabrielle Union, Olivia Wilde, Demi Moore, and more—arrived at Los Angeles’ John Sowden House, where inside, Schiaparelli was celebrating the opening of its exclusive boutique in Neiman Marcus’ Beverly Hills store. Launching its first ready-to-wear collection in just 2018 after decades in couture, it’s a brand that, until very recently, was next to impossible to find in-store in the States. And even now, with Neiman Marcus Group as the only North American retailer with the right to stock its surrealists and artful pieces, it is still otherwise scarce to come by. “It’s so hard to find—on purpose, kind of,” Daniel Roseberry, Creative Director at Schiaparelli, tells Vogue. “I like that about it.”
The Beverly Hills boutique opening marks the third store location unveiled amid Schiaparelli’s ongoing relationship with Neiman Marcus Group, following a Bergdorf Goodman opening in New York City, and a Neiman Marcus opening in Dallas, the retailer’s and Roseberry’s home city. “Being a Dallas, Texas boy, Neiman Marcus was always sort of this storied iconic pinnacle, and so it is amazing to be able to have this national sprawling relationship with them,” the designer, who now resides in Paris, says.
True to the glamorous nature that is the heralded couture house, and even its ready-to-wear line, the event did not scale back on the glitz. An atmospheric, magenta light illuminated the area where a fashionable crowd sipped cocktails and enjoyed hors-d’oeuvres around the perimeter of an outdoor pool. Sculptural touches of the Parisian brand had been sprinkled throughout.
Near the photo area was a larger-than-life gold keyhole (it’s one of the house’s most recognizable motifs) among mannequins flaunting select garments. Elsewhere, there was a table of edible arrangements and a tower of grapes sat atop a gold fixture resembling the female hips and thighs. In another room off to the side, a display of the brand’s accessories, including top-handle bags with gold facial features on them, shone through a glass case.
“Everyone in LA wants to have that piece that no one else has, and that’s exactly what this brand is all about,” Ryan Ross, President of Neiman Marcus and Head of NMG Customer Insights, tells Vogue.
Of the boutique’s design, Delphine Bellini, CEO of Schiaparelli, explains that the idea was to reflect two things: “Both the elegance of a décor inspired by Schiaparelli’s great artist friends, such as Giacometti, Jean-Michel Franck and Dali, and the hushed luxury of a Parisian salon where you feel at home, a little out of time,” she says.
Throughout the night, between catching up with people like Regina King and Angela Bassett, it was (understandably so) hard to pin Roseberry down for too long. “This is a chance for us to come together and thank everyone,” he said just before another guest greeted him with a hug. “I mean, that’s what this is about for me. It’s weirdly less about the brand and more about being thankful and giving thanks to the people who have allowed us to have these amazing moments with them.”