With one of the fashion world’s most sumptuous archives at his disposal, Pierpaolo Piccioli could easily get caught up in mannerist nostalgia or postmodern appropriation. But that attitude wouldn’t jibe with who he is. “There’s a big difference between reverence and respect,” Piccioli said from the vast Valentino studio in Rome’s historic Palazzo Mignanelli, where the pre-fall lookbook was shot. “Being reverent means keeping a certain distance from what the past represents,” he mused. “But the past must be reckoned with, because it’s part of your present, of who you are. You have to make it yours—it mustn’t be denied. The past must become a strength.”
Being at the helm of a historic house in a time when old values, social mind-sets, and visual codes are being questioned and challenged could have proved critical for Piccioli. But his clever, supple, and high-spirited approach has propelled Valentino’s haute couture into a stratosphere of extreme fabulousness, one that balances emotional delicacy and extravagance, poetry and excess. What makes his practice sensational—beyond the breathtaking technique of the house’s ateliers—is the feeling of humanity and openness of spirit that permeates it. These are inherent traits of Piccioli’s; they’re what keep his idea of a modern couture joyful and inclusive—even if it’s the most exclusive, privileged practice in fashion.
This high-minded, progressive approach has become a mind-set at Valentino, an all-encompassing attitude. “I want to maintain couture’s values even in the pre-fall collection,” said Piccioli. “I like the idea of breaking its rules and translating them into a modern, spontaneous wardrobe, making something historical become contemporary.” To that end, he picked from the archives a set of rather diverse references: a beautiful print of Delft blue vases from a sophisticated 1968 couture collection and an image from the ’70s shot by Chris von Wangenheim of curly-haired, free-spirited models in hot pants—the ’80s attitude of Valentino’s collections of that time. “But I wanted to put all these images on a diachronic level, stripping them of too overt historical references, giving everything a contemporary feel,” he said.
To bring high glamour to a daywear collection, Piccioli gave classic wardrobe staples—the chic cape, the masculine tailored blazer, the slender city coat, the prim chemisier, the flirty floral dress—the impeccably luxurious Valentino treatment, only tinged with a youthful, upbeat feel. Lace intarsias, imaginative embroideries and prints, precious fabrics, and fine details exuded the savoir faire and feminine sophistication the maison is known for, yet also conveyed a spirit of optimism, lightness, and verve. Pieces were mixed and matched with soigné nonchalance and a dash of extravagance. Geometric foulard motifs from the ’70s were reworked on silk twill minidresses and hot pants worn with masculine blazers easy as shirts; the famous Delft print was rendered in fine embroidery on the back of a navy wool cape or intarsia-ed on a macramé dress—and even blown up on a slender high-waist print dress. Bouffant organza or taffeta minidresses had a whiff of couture gestures of old, as did the coquettish little bows decorating the shoulders of a tangerine jacket, worn with matching hot pants and a lace blouse.
Being a great colorist, Piccioli indulged an expressive chromatic palette. Ginger contrasted with burgundy and hot pink; flashes of apricot highlighted delicate shades of blush and mauve; and Delft blue was balanced by white. Offset by a canvas of black and navy, such vibrancy kept the collection in an uplifting, cheerful mode. “I want Valentino to be lively and joyous,” enthused Piccioli. “For me, beauty means life, emotion, something that vibrates and is full of energy—not something removed that you look at from afar, as if on a pedestal.”
