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SS18; Major Moment | Valentino
So, truth be told, normally I don’t care to review the larger house collections.
This could be due to them already having their established codes and regurgitating them in various iterations to fit the season’s inspiration, but I’m usually uninspired.
Hm. That sounds a little critical, but they already have their business model, their consumer, and their silhouettes all figured out for the most part.
And that’s not to say that they aren’t good, cause they truly are spectacular, but it also seems a little unfair no?
I mean just the resources they have available – not only financially, but in terms of technical staff, the ability to make their own fabrics etc; they really are the movers of a massive industry.
And where’s the fun in that?
But sometimes, along comes a collection from a major label that just has to be spoken about.
I’ve done it before with Balmain’s Spring-Summer17 AND Fall-Winter17 collections, this season’s Versace, as well as its Spring-Summer17 collection, and I’m doing it again, this time for Valentino!
Maison Valentino is an interesting one.
The founder, Valentino Garavani is still alive – quite unlike other houses of this magnitude – Dior, Versace, Chanel.
As a result, it is easy for one to seek advice or approval or draw reference from the namesake himself.
Or is it more difficult due to that pressure to meet his expectations?
Alessandra Facchinetti, appointed creative director directly after Garavani’s retirement, was apparently dismissed after only one year for not adhering closely to the established codes.
So, after an interesting co-creative directorship between Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who worked together at the label for over 20 years, Chiuri left in 2016 to successfully head the Dior label.
And after a few seasons flying solo, producing gorgeously noteworthy collections, Piccioli has really impressed me with his Spring-Summer 2018 offering.
This collection was inspired by space.
Well, more specifically by the perspective of the Apollo moon landing, in which the Earth was photographed from space and revealed in all its natural wonder.
We came all this way to explore the moon,” he recited, “and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.
“I wanted to get back something of the glamour of the ’80s that Mr. Valentino did so well…”
…and that he did.
Is Piccioli a romantic at heart. Or is he an academic?
Either way, his collections have been very heavily inspired by art, and literary and historical references, and thus have taken on a very sophisticated, feminine and polished form.
But Piccioli made it clear, this collection is no sci-fi reference.
In fact, it is more a romanticism with the Earth, albeit from a different perspective.
There was a literary reference in the collection; The Frenzy of Orlando, the Renaissance epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto.
“I was very impressed by the part when Orlando loses his mind for love, and his best friend has to go to the moon to recover his sanity,” Piccioli said.
“It’s important because the moon is the place where you can find what is lost in the heart. I like this idea of the moon as a second opportunity.”
And that is just how he crafted these clothes.
There exists currently, a wave of every day, somewhat-pedestrian clothes, amped up; a simple-luxe if you will.
Piccioli, known for this, gave his classics new life with clear plastics, sequins, a touch of athleticism, and a whole lot of glam.
I guess it’s a little poetic that my last review of the Spring-Summer 2018 collections and for the year has been so long but the clothes are breathtaking and the message is profound.
“It’s not going to the moon to look for something. It’s just re-seeing what you already have, but with a new perspective.”
…and that’s the hope for the New Year.
See the rest of the collection here.
Enjoy!
xx
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