Hunter Schafer’s Hand-Painted Schiaparelli Puzzle Dress

Hunter Schafer served surrealist haute couture in a hand-painted puzzle-piece dress on Nov. 5. While attending the “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” premiere in Berlin, Schafer had her own Katniss Everdeen–inspired grand entrance in a crochet midi dress that created the illusion of paint dripping down her body. Her stylist, Dara, completed the look with a pair of white pointed-toe pumps. While it didn’t catch fire, the outfit certainly caught our attention from all angles as Schafer strutted down the red carpet.

Inspired by the artist Lucian Freud, who specialized in figurative art, the dress is made up of mosaic-like pieces of painted paillettes embroidered on crochet netting. According to the designer’s website, the inventive piece is intended to be a trompe-l’oeil reproduction of a woman’s body. In addition to the melting effect along the sleeves and hemline, the look also features subtle rhinestone detailing on the edge of each irregularly shaped segment. The avant-garde ensemble, designed by Daniel Roseberry, first made its debut in Schiaparelli’s fall 2023 haute couture runway show.

Beautiful in its draping, its array of colors, and the way it moves down the red carpet, Schafer’s dress is a fantasy vision brought to life. The closer you look, the more you notice. From the rosette shapes along the chest to the dark red heart along the rib cage, each shade of pink, yellow, and orange appears to be a celebration of the human anatomy. Some celebrity outfits mesmerize us with their unique fabric choices and carefully placed cutouts; Schafer’s dress demands a double-take the way the Mona Lisa deserves a spot in the Louvre: to appreciate the beauty in every fine detail.

Though the outfit employs a couple of our favorite red carpet trends — the mock-neck design and the naked-illusion-dress silhouette — the finished product is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Needless to say, Schafer would certainly earn our vote in the Hunger Games.

Ahead, see Schafer’s showstopping puzzle-piece dress from all angles.

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