May 24, 2017 |
Apparently the soundtrack to Valentino’s Resort 2018 show today in New York was a piano version of Travis Scott. A fact I cannot confirm, as I was not actually there (I read it on Twitter) and when I watched the live stream (modern) I had the sound off because I didn’t want to disturb the office and couldn’t find my headphones. But there is a (dubious) reason I begin with this fact – Pierpaolo Piccioli has always a canny knack of bringing together elements that shouldn’t quite work together, but they do. My my, they do. Nothing totally insane, rather this sort of easy eclecticism – the main dichotomy here balanced somewhere between the sporty and the feminine. Roomy, tracksuit-inspired shapes were tinged with frills and lace, whilst Valentino’s trademark draped column gowns were edged with exposed stitching and seams. Flip-flops and sandals were worn with romantic frocks, decorated with the patterns of Zandra Rhodes, who Pierpaolo had collaborated with for the second time. Those fabrications clashed against each other too – technical, almost scuba-like fabrics sat next to denims or sequins, astroturf greens next to searing hot pink velvet. And pulled together, it worked.
