Giambattista Valli is the king of the party dress, keeping the young Euro social set outfitted in leopard spots and ostrich feathers. For pre-fall, though, he put a new emphasis on tailoring, showing 12 pantsuits and tuxes in velvet, wool, pinstripes, and even denim. They'll run about as much as a Tom Ford suit for your better half would, and they have a similar sort of swagger. In his notes on the collection—Valli didn't make the trip across the pond with his clothes, as other European designers have this week—the designer cited Helmut Newton's photographs of Paris by night as a reference. Sexy? You bet.
Balancing out the tailleurs, of course, were his signature dresses, and these ran the gamut from a poppy-print A-line shift to draped jerseys to floaty chiffons. There were also new takes on the color-blocked numbers Valli showed in multiples on his Spring runway; here he mixed python photo print with black silk and red grosgrain. The hands-down winner was a black column gown with an asymmetric neckline and one cap sleeve. No surprise to hear that his press office has two requests and counting for this particular number for the Golden Globes on Sunday night.
