What would happen if Empress Joséphine met Kirsten Owen? That could’ve been the setup at Giambattista Valli this evening. To be sure, the collection was far more empire than it was grunge, what with the pouf sleeves, the sweet flower-bud prints, and, yes, the empire waistlines. But we’re fairly sure Mrs. Napoleon never revealed her midriff in public, as a couple of cropped blouses and tapered pants looks did here. Nor did her skirts rise quite so high on the thigh.
One reason Valli’s front row is so well stocked with pretty young things—who were this season joined by an emotive Céline Dion, clapping enthusiastically and shouting “Bravo!” at the end—is that he’s tapped into what the party set likes to wear. As a rule, it’s ornate and it’s body-confident. That meant that the micro lengths were balanced by outsized sleeves, exaggerated ruffled shoulders, even the occasional neck ruff. A few minis were accessorized with floor-scraping tulle trains—one part regal, and the other part Stephanie Seymour in Guns N' Roses’ “November Rain.” When dresses reached the floor, they tended to be diaphanous and pleated, draped goddess style from an asymmetric neckline or sweeping from both shoulders like a cape.
Valli concluded, like he usually does, with a trio of tiered and flounced tulle confections so grand that they might’ve intimidated Joséphine. What was new were the fine jewels—drop earrings, pendant necklaces, and sautoirs—all by Buccellati. A sheared white lamb A-line coat was finished with a row of diamond brooch buttons, and the bodices of a pair of dresses were double-wrapped with a long rope of diamonds. It was a synergistic coupling, the kind of thing that should happen more often at couture.
