Valentino Spring/Summer 2018 Haute Couture Review
It would be a disservice to haute couture without discussing Pierpaolo Piccioli's latest Valentino collection. It paid tribute to the past of couture, with its crinolines, ruffles, and swishes along gilded chairs in a salon. What was monument about this collection was its modernity. Couture is all about the clients, and only exists off of the desire of the richest of the fabled one percent. Thus, a couture designer must be able to create something modern day women of the ultra-wealthy must be able wear on a day-to-day basis, rather than just the designer's idea of a glittery frock.
Piccioli has come into his own after his business partner at Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri, left for Christian Dior nearly two years ago. When left to his own devices, especially where couture is concerned, Piccoli manages to bring sophistication without too much reference to the previous century. Ease and sophistication continues to reign supreme with this latest collection, with dramatic volume that still manages to create drama. Perhaps the most dramatic and fantastical were the Philip Treacy hats, which floated around the model's heads like jellyfish suspended in the sea, waving their tentacles around in search of prey.
Sashes and ribbons in candy colors like fuchsia, lilac, and sky blue covered swathes of neutral dresses in camel, cream, and bronze to create an inviting mix that was appropriate to the current trends, yet theatrical and wonderful enough for these garments to be considered "something new". There was the tulle of course, which both Piccioli and Chiuri made a trademark at Valentino, but it was more experimental and intellectual than the one's before (and the ones being created by Chiuri at Dior). Couture designers who hardly know what they are doing have a knack for over-producing bad clothes. Only have one or two good ideas for a garment and exploiting it into a eighty look collection is repulsive and frankly not worth the fabric its being crafted from. Piccioli knows that, according to this collection. Even though their are similar motifs and themes running throughout, actual product development is occurring. You can see this in the experimentation of different fabrics and the combination of those fabrics. For example, cream silk would be combined with a breastplate of embellishment, or crystals on top of lace.
The femininity of this collection is quite classic with florals, lace, and trimmings. However, the clothes are not totally fey in a passive way. They are strong and commanding, with their slinking shapes and long trains. In fact, Monsieur Valentino Garavani always dressed strong women, as all good designers do. And this specific collection was something new for the Valentino client but still reminiscent of the original master.
Photos Courtesy of: VogueRunway.com