THE RETURN OF SCHIAPARELLI
For the first time over half of a century, the spirit of Elsa Schiaparelli walked the runway. Here, CR talks to the designer responsible for reviving the house, Marco Zanini 
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Photography courtesy SchiaparelliELSA
&ldquo;As long as I have memories of fashion, I have had always been somehow familiar with Elsa Schiaparelli. Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by fashion and Schiaparelli is one of those designers that really appeals to young people, to teenagers because she was a little extreme, very extravagant, and eccentric. When I was 15, I read her autobiography Shocking Life. I was in London during the summer of 1996 and had a fetish for books. I went up and down Charing Cross Road where they had all of these old bookstores with out-of-print editions. In the window of one of these stores, I found the very pink copy (that I still have) of the first edition from 1954 and became obsessed with it. It is incredible that after all these years to be here today.&rdquo;THE LEGACY
&ldquo;I think it is important for this relaunch to make the name of Schiaparelli 
relevant for today and for tomorrow. The most important part of the heritage&mdash;which is the core value of the brand&mdash;is the spirit of Elsa: her anti-conformism, her way of thinking, her bravery, and the fact that she was very daring. That is the quintessential spirit of the house that should be preserved, developed and pampered because I don&rsquo;t think quoting what she did is enough. I think it is important to bring her personality into the future. Her legacy is her anti-conformism.&rdquo;THE THRILL
&ldquo;I have been in love with Elsa Schiaparelli since I was very young. I find it thrilling to be here in Paris at the place Vend&ocirc;me, but what makes makes me feel especially privileged is the unique opportunity to do Haute Couture. It&rsquo;s been 60 years that the Schiaparelli customer has had the opportunity to buy any product, so we can really invent and attract a new clientele that will be very interesting to see and to meet.&rdquo;PERFECT TIMING
&ldquo;I think it is always the right time to invest in excellence and beauty. Especially right now, there is a very true need for anti-conformism. To mix the three: beauty, excellence and anti-conformism (and to be slightly irreverent)&mdash;is the Schiaparelli cocktail. This cocktail is very contemporary and for now.&rdquo;&mdash;Marco Zanini