Emblazoned across tote bags and T-shirts and all things shoppable in Giambattista Valli’s collection was a new swirly logo interlocking his G and V initials. Inspired by 18th-century porcelain and the crests forged in the cast iron gates of grand Italian homes, its presence came through loud and clear. Sorry for the unchic question, but was this a post-lockdown push for business? “Of course it is. We’re here to do business. Now it’s chic to talk about business,” the designer said.
Following a successful digital sale of his haute couture collection in July, Valli is more tuned in than ever to the wants and needs of his trusty clientele. He is in regular touch with them, encourages their honesty, and listens. “This,” he said, gesturing around his showroom, “is what they’re expecting right now.” After the confinement period, the women who buy his clothes—couture as well as ready-to-wear—have conveyed to Valli a new desire for intimacy and privacy.
“People were obliged to be with themselves, to have this introspection, and to start a conversation with themselves. This has brought a new purity to life: taking care of one’s soul and psyche; one’s own skin,” he explained. “There are no more red carpets or big events, but there is more intimacy; more honesty.” Rather than going to Positano this summer—as he has done for the past 25—Valli went to Punta Rossa, a nature reserve located between Rome and Naples where forests grow into the sea and flowers bloom a little more vibrantly.
There, he found the peace and quiet needed for a purified (and retail-savvy) new proposal. The video he presented in place of a runway show featured clips he filmed on his iPhone while on holiday, showcasing the distinct Mediterranean greenery of the area. Valli transferred those floral motifs to easy poplin dresses with touches of lace, embellished them over neat broderie anglaise shirts, and printed them on delicate blouses as if they’d been painted by hand.
He filtered in just enough of that spark his customer would miss if it weren’t there—sexy sequined micro shorts, girly ruffle tops, sweet grosgrain bows, and a couple of cascading frill dresses—but was careful never to tip the succinct simplification that defined his new vision. That attitude meant business: Kicky denim trousers, industrial damier print twill sets and a range of T-shirts with gems and pearls encrusted along the necklines joined Valli’s swirly logo in its direct dialogue with the woman who keeps the wheels of Valli spinning.
