Giambattista Valli’s passion for dressing women is second only to his love for beautiful flowers. This season he combined the two, imagining his dearest muses past and present in the natural intimacy of their own gardens. Backstage on his mood board, images of fabulous mid-century eccentrics such as Peggy Guggenheim shared real estate with sophisticates in Valli’s circle: Eugenie Niarchos, Sabine Getty, Giovanna Battaglia, and the like. Along the runway inside the Musée des Arts Decoratifs, where Valli presented his new collection, there were gorgeous bouquets of wildflowers. Some freshly cut orchids were even applied to the models’ faces, framing their eyes with soft yellow and white petals.
No matter the theme, floral-print motifs are a given at Valli. They came in multiple varieties at his show today: Delphiniums were tucked into the pleats of a swingy LWD; sweet peas were embedded in a sequined pajama-style evening jacket—and that’s just for starters. To add a little grit to the glamour, Valli accessorized the looks with bucket hats made from Chantilly lace. The charming embellished ballet flats were a welcome grounding influence to the frothy, puff-sleeve minidresses. You can imagine a Hollywood ingenue like Sofia Carson, who was sitting pretty in pink marabou feathers in the front row, skipping down the red carpet in any number of the leggy pieces.
The more structured dresses in the lineup owed their shape to trellises, the unsung heroes of the garden, so to speak. Wiped clean of any print or embellishment, the gently sculpted gowns in shades of pistachio and sunflower yellow presented a fresh offering. Paired with sumptuous red velvet flats, the off-the-shoulder white maxi dress was the pick of that bunch and would make a nice picture at an outdoor summer wedding.
