There were princess moments galore at Valentino’s autumn/winter 2023 show, which was held as part of Haute Couture Fashion Week yesterday.
The French fashion house’s show, which was held against the majestic backdrop of Château de Chantilly, was punctuated by the floor-sweeping hems for which the house is revered, as well as a more dynamic and utilitarian take on crisp classics, including riffs on the white shirt.
Models’ ears were embellished with shoulder-grazing chandelier doorknocker earrings, their feet decked out with statement bowed kitten heels. The show was a departure, both literally and figuratively, for the brand — Château de Chantilly is a small trek from Paris, where the rest of the Couture brands are showcasing their collections — but also stylistically. Valentino and its creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, subverted expectations by presenting a collection that was decidedly pared back.
From a pair of embellished, bedazzled Valentino-ed Levi’s 501s (yes, really) to a star-studded FROW that included Valentino muses Florence Pugh and Naomi Ackie, here’s everything you need to know about the show.
The setting:
Piccioli described his motivation for choosing the Château de Chantilly for his show’s backdrop as ‘resignifying its history into a forum for equality and openness.’
The 16th-century château, located just outside Paris, once belonged to one of France’s oldest and most distinguished families, the Montmorencys. After it was destroyed during the French Revolution, the family rebuilt it as an art museum, which provided the perfect canvas for Piccioli change of direction for Valentino. The location proved that change, such as that sewn throughout the collection, can still be as beautiful as that which has gone before it and, in some cases, is even better on the other side.
The Front Row:
Perennial Valentino muses Florence Pugh and Naomi Ackie graced the FROW alongside And Just Like That…’s Nicole Ari Parker and singer, Raye.
In true Florence style, the Little Women actor opted to wear another sheer Valentino gown, this time in a flowing lavender tone.
The Collection:
Kaia Gerber opened the show clad in an oversized white shirt and blue tapered-style jeans, which were elevated with more-is-more earrings and a pair of pointed kitten heels. The tone was set: this was Piccioli using the most majestic of backdrops to juxtapose a collection for which the pitch changed with each look — from pared-back to punchy, pared-back to punchy.
One such minimal look, which had the glitterati’s tongues wagging, featured a pair of vintage Levi’s 501 jeans, which were covered in gilded embroidery, worn with a white silk cut-out bodysuit. Jeans-and-a-nice-top done exceptionally well, as only couture ever could.
Celebrities On The Front Row At Fashion Week
