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I t's impossible not to fall in love with Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry. First off, he's so disarmingly handsome that he's easily mistaken for a movie-marquee idol. His talent is undeniable. And he is unapologetically infatuated with Ina Garten. What? Yes, the man is obsessed with the Barefoot Contessa. From Plano to Paris: Schiaparelli Creative Director Daniel Roseberry By Billy Fong. Portrait Christopher Coënon. Event photos Stephen Karlisch. If you follow him on Instagram, you'll see him fanboy out about an afternoon he spent making risotto with Ina. In the video, he proclaims, "My family is going to freak out that I'm cooking with you." Don't you adore the idea that this fashion designer is incredibly relatable? But perhaps the greatest reason why we should instantly become enamored with the 37-year-old designer is that he constantly refers to growing up in Plano. I was surprised to hear the remnants of a charming Texas lilt when I had the opportunity to spend time with him in Dallas during the unveiling of his installation at Neiman Marcus Downtown (through mid-April 2023). The installation features more than 100 pieces of women's ready-to-wear, handbags, and jewelry from the Fall/Winter 2022 collection. Elsa Schiaparelli, the namesake founder of the house, had a long history with our beloved department store. In 1940, she was awarded one of the first Neiman Marcus Fashion Awards for her significant influence. She also had a longstanding relationship with surrealism — including notable collaborations with Dalí, Cocteau, Giacometti, and Man Ray — and other avant-garde movements also had a significant impact on her designs. Roseberry pays homage to those early days of the hallowed house with this installation. Nearly 1,000 square feet on the second floor are completely transformed to highlight the Schiaparelli aesthetic and provide a glimpse into the vision of the creative director via original and fantastical drawings that are his reimagining of the surrealist spirit. Roseberry was born the son of a priest and an artist-mother in Plano. He and his three siblings were brought up in a deeply religious household — he even considered entering the ministry and spent time after high school traveling the world on missions. However, he ended up on a different journey when he applied and was accepted to the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. After only two years, he was offered an incredible opportunity: a position on Thom Browne's creative team. Over the decade he spent at the New York-based brand (which is known for exceptional tailoring of shrunken suits with a slightly subversive take on a preppy meets mid-century vibe), he rose to the head of design. His journey took another turn in 2019 when he was offered the opportunity to move to Paris and lead Schiaparelli as its artistic director into its next chapter. On his recent visit to Dallas, Roseberry and others from his team were fêted with an intimate luncheon at The Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, where he was greeted by a strictly A-List group of style aficionados that included Nancy Rogers, Sue Gragg, Nini Nguyen, Erin Mathews, Leigh Anne Clark, and Sabrina Harrison, as well as a glittering cocktail party that evening at the downtown bastion. He was surrounded by his most devoted fans and true Schiaparelli collectors — perhaps the best being jewelry designer Sue Gragg who wore his label head to toe. She shared that this was a generational love affair, as her mother had collected seminal pieces over the years from the maison. That afternoon, Gragg wore a strictly black ensemble (along with her signature black sunglasses, which I adore) with one of the iconic handbags featuring a surrealist-inspired face, a gold An American in Daniel Roseberry 56