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<p class="s8">STEP into the atelier and watch legendary designer Christian Lacroix at work on his haute couture collection for Schiaparelli

in this behind-the-scenes video. The 18-piece collection was

unveiled in full in Paris yesterday, as part of Couture Fashion

Week.

<p class="s8">Lacroix's collaboration with the storied fashion

house was a one-off (the brand will work with a series of

designers, artists and creatives in the coming seasons), and he explained that he wanted to pay

tribute to two very different sides of the label's founder, Elsa

Schiaparelli.

<p class="s8">"As naturally as possible," he responded, when we

asked him how he approached the project. "Listening to

Schiaplanguage and heritage, plus my feeling of her work - I mean

not only the crazy baroque, opulent, extravagant, caricatural side

of her clothes, but her modernity, simplicity and purity too."

<p class="s8">Unusually, Lacroix opted out of holding a grand

catwalk show to herald the return of Schiaparelli to the couture

calendar, instead unveiling the designs on mannequins which sat on

a mirrored carousel. The pieces are on display at the Musée

des Arts Decoratifs.

<p class="s8">He explained that, were she still alive,

Schiaparelli's designs would have easily translated to the modern

day - and into the future.

<p class="s8">"That mixture of eccentricity and neat makes her work

timeless," said Lacroix. "Very relevant for today and

tomorrow."

Read more: Schiaparelli Autumn/Winter 2013 Couture