Paris Haute Couture Week is no stranger to spectacle, but Daniel Roseberry, the creative director of Schiaparelli, took it a step further this season. At Schiaparelli’s couture show, models walked the runway adorned with jewellery inspired by one of the century’s most audacious thefts, the Louvre jewel heist which took place on October 19, 2025. What could have easily ended up looking like a mere stunt instead unfolded as a nuanced dialogue between history, craftsmanship, and theatrical flair.
The Louvre’s Stolen Jewels Turn Up At Paris Couture
Roseberry explained to Vanity Fair that the idea came to him during an ordinary walk home from the studio, shortly after the theft made headlines. Rather than replicate the jewels exactly, he wanted to reinterpret them to take the stories embedded in these historic objects and make them memorable on the runway.
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Schiaparelli Reimagines The Louvre Heist
The designer focused particularly on pieces linked to Empress Eugénie. Among them, her pearl-and-diamond tiara stood out. Crafted in 1853 by jeweller Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier, the original diadem contained 212 pearls, nearly 2,000 diamonds, and 1,000 rose-cut stones arranged into intricate leaf motifs. The tiara had been among nine pieces taken during the October 19 heist. Only Eugénie’s crown was recovered after it was dropped by the thieves during their escape.
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Roseberry’s runway versions were never meant as dull, uninspired copies. Instead, they were magnified and sculpted to read clearly from every row, crafted using traditional couture techniques that emphasized theatricality over literal reproduction. The effect was at once playful, opulent, and reverential.
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One of the reimagined pieces was worn by American actor and musician Teyana Taylor, fresh from her Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress and her first Oscar nomination. Taylor’s crown and diamond bow necklace echoed the historic pieces’ shapes and motifs, grounding the collection in a human story while bridging past and present. Taylor’s necklace, for instance, drew inspiration from a gold, silver, and diamond bow brooch, once the clasp of a belt encrusted with over 4,000 stones. The Louvre acquired the original piece in 2008 for a reported $10 million.
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On the runway, the past came alive. Schiaparelli’s show proved that fashion is more than a fleeting moment. It tells a story, weaving centuries of craftsmanship, theatrical flair, and modern artistry into a single dazzling moment.
The Louvre Jewel Heist
The morning of October 19, 2025, began like any other at the Louvre, but by 9:30 a.m., the museum’s calm was shattered. A team of thieves arrived, carrying a vehicle-mounted lift, and positioned it near a balcony overlooking the River Seine. From there, they accessed a first-floor window of the Galerie d’Apollon, a room famed for its 19th-century crown jewels.
Two of the intruders made their way inside by cutting through the window with power tools. Within minutes, the thieves smashed the glass cases holding some of France’s most treasured royal jewellery. The entire operation lasted barely eight minutes. By 9:38 a.m., they were gone, escaping on scooters waiting outside, leaving the Louvre and the world stunned.
Eight historic pieces were taken, each with deep connections to France’s imperial past. Among the missing were a tiara and brooch that had belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, along with an emerald necklace and matching earrings from Empress Marie Louise. Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense’s sapphire set – a tiara, necklace, and a single earring was also lost, alongside a brooch known as the “reliquary brooch.”
The stolen treasures were encrusted with thousands of diamonds, pearls, and other precious gems worth over $100 million.
