Giamba’s girls are literally all over the map. For a designer, that’s an enviable position to be in because it opens up so many possibilities. It also presents certain challenges. This season, the designer answered those by taking it to the street and giving his fans a magpie’s feast of unexpected pairings, particularly in his newly launched activewear line.
“I love everything that is a little eccentric, culturally,” the designer explained during a showroom visit. “Like my clients, I’m always picking up so many things from all over, so it’s about practicing personal interpretation rather than ‘billboard’ fashion.”
For Fall, Valli is sticking with a metropolitan energy, offering his clients more denim, more puffer jackets and tracksuits, notably a white neoprene one with pale green macramé sprawling from shoulder to ankle. Speaking of macramé, ’70s-inspired pieces bring together a number of weaves, such as on a striped dress in burgundy and black. Valli’s girls will thrill to his black and white tweeds with sporty leanings or bouclé biker jackets. Elsewhere, floral embroidery gets play on a shearling coat, just one of a number of strong outerwear options.
Valli is one designer who believes that while feminist times call for comfort, they still call for femininity. Think Amal Clooney, from courtroom to red carpet—but while one might easily picture her in a black dress sprinkled with white flowers, or a laser-embroidered vinyl evening coat, the jury is still out on the yeti runners.
There’s a lot going on here, but Valli resists the term “maximalist.” “I’m not someone who seeks to create a shocking moment,” he said. “I’m not a code breaker. I want to create harmonies. When my woman walks into the room, you get to know her little by little.”
