January 25, 2018 |
Maison Valentino was like a tantalising dessert. You know it’s going to be good but you think you’ve had enough, after a complete diet of fabulous clothes all week, and then there’s more. Some would argue the best part. Gorge, and love every minute of it. If you want to learn how to put colour together then reference this collection. There were delicious sorbets. Clearly we’re hungry.
The most incredible colour combinations of couture week. Mint green met a blackcurrant purple and faded to mulberry, always ever so soft. The intensity of shocking raspberry pink, followed by chartreuse, and the Valentino signature- reds so rich and deep. The foil of ancient frescoes, kept it grounded, the whole lot inspired by Andrea Pontormo’s 16th century colour palette. The pieces reverberated through passionate colours. Swaggering details. Bows, like prom dress sashes hung loosely to the side or tied at the back. The hats, larger than life, feathers oscillating with each step designed by Philip Treacy made the drama. Oh, the drama.
Exaggeration handled so eloquently. Each piece harmoniously confronted the next. And then, that moment, the deep dive of the first black dress, a sharp intake of breath, bridging into the romance of etched giant flower prints. Taffetas and moiré, acres of fabric handled so lightly, scooped up with ease. A tenderness to it all. Lady Duff Gordon was inspo. Important Fact: the British designer, known as Lucille, survived the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Just saying. She’s a survivor. This was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s vision coming to life through the Valentino atelier “a continuous dialogue between the one who imagines and the one who completes.” A poetry of modern couture. This is how it should be.
