GOING FOR GOLD: Schiaparelli is bringing the spirit of Place Vendôme to Dubai Mall, with the opening on Monday of a gilded pop-up for the holiday season.

With walls reminiscent of the Surrealist hammered brass jewels that have become a signature of creative director Daniel Roseberry’s tenure, the gold-and-black décor is inspired by the house’s historic salons, originally designed by Jean-Michel Frank for Elsa Schiaparelli.

The temporary boutique, located within the mall’s Fashion Avenue, is due to remain open until Feb. 28. It carries a selection of fall ready-to-wear, leather goods and jewelry alongside the Iconics line, which ranges from evening dresses to denim, knitwear and tailoring.

In parallel, Roseberry has designed a Christmas tree for the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira, home to the Middle East’s only Schiaparelli Suite.

Made of 960 golden metal rods, it evokes the solar rays of the Apollo of Versailles embroidered cape designed for Schiaparelli’s 1938 Zodiac collection and reprised by Roseberry for his fall 2025 haute couture line. At its center is a beating mechanical heart covered in red Swarovski crystals, inspired by another of his recent designs.

Dubai Mall has billed itself as “the most visited place on earth” for two consecutive years, with 111 million visitors in 2024, a 6 percent increase compared to 2023, according to operator Emaar.

It is investing 1.5 billion dinars, equivalent to more than $408 million, in expanding the mall amid a spate of new developments in Dubai. With The District, a new precinct within Dubai Mall located near the ice rink, Emaar is adding 279 new luxury boutiques, including 81 dining options, to its already expansive offer.

Schiaparelli has taken a cautious approach to retail expansion since it was relaunched by Italian entrepreneur Diego Della Valle in 2012.

The brand has eight points of distribution, including Place Vendôme; shops-in-shop at Harrods department store in London, Bergdorf Goodman in New York City and the Neiman Marcus flagships in Dallas and Beverly Hills; a boutique at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco, and private salons at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira and the Hankyu department store in Osaka, Japan.