At Valentino, elegance responds to the very definition of refinement – it’s without compromise that this brand has been under the creative direction of Pierpaolo Piccioli for the past eight years now, composing and confectioning the ideal wardrobe for beauties on a quest for distinction. For the current season, a surprising pink is pushing the legendary Valentino red into the recesses of memory; it’s a romantic and masterful “fresh start”. Following the departure of Maria Grazia Chuiri for Dior, Pierpaolo Piccioli confided: “Thinking of my first collection as solo Creative Director, I felt the need for a human and personal narrative. There’s no fixed inspiration, but a series of questions, ideas, and suggestions that are close to me and my passions and that stimulate my thinking.”
His train of thought this time brought him to rediscover the fabulous triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, imagined over 500 years ago by an equally fabulous painter, Hieronymus Bosch. The piece recalls humanity in its primitive condition, a condition made of contradictions. All the romantic inspiration of Valentino’s creative director can be found here, and it’s not without bringing amplitude and distilling this spirit through pieces as light as they are colorful. Among them, this saccharine long dress slips onto the body like dagger-skewed hearts slip into the composition. Artist Zandra Rhodes was approached by Valentino to adapt Bosch’s aesthetic and create this collection’s motifs, making for bright colors and prints sprinkled with sequins. On this piece, the daggers are like optical illusions that magnify Piccioli’s work through the masterful folds in the fabric. This piece was created by beautifully mixing genres, enough to bring it into the ranks of a must-have for next season.
Schiaparelli’s coral pink coat with oversize sleeves, Valentino’s sugar-coated shade of pink, or a Guimauve coat sprinkled with rhinestones and allegorical motifs by Gucci… Pink has been seen in a variety of shades throughout a number of collections. Whether just a trace or an all-out look, it gives a sweetness and rebellion to everything it touches.
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