Embrace Escapist Spring Dressing With Valentino’s Latest Collection

For spring/summer 2022, Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli was determined to take his collection into the streets where it would connect on an everyday level. His beautifully constructed designs have a real-world wearability that has earned him a reputation for creating ‘casual couture’. As a result, the old marketplace at the Carreau du Temple in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris proved to be the perfect setting to showcase elevated embroidered shirting with off-duty denim, and of-the-moment minis with laid-back ‘Valentino Garavani Rockstud No Limit’ sandals.

According to the show notes, the Valentino collection “is, in fact, conceived as a series of pieces: timeless items, each one valid on its own, which everyone can then interpret and mix as they prefer, without impositions or rules of any kind”. Speaking to the devoted Valentino woman, as well as a new generation falling in love with its divine, fantastical aesthetic for the first time, there truly is something for everyone.

Romantic, liberally decorated, diaphanous shirts are paired with high-rise, loose-cut jeans, a sheer, flower-embroidered version is taken out of strictly eveningwear dress codes. The jeans themselves are also a piece of the Italian maison’s rich heritage, with the creative director telling Vogue, “This is from the first denim collection Valentino launched in the ’80s, which I had.”

There is a sense of liberalism with color too: a brilliant, oversized purple shirt paired with green shorts is maximalist summer dressing at its finest. Meanwhile, the ‘Valentino Garavani Rockstud No Limit’ sandals, which climb up the leg in criss-crossing supple leather, add a relaxed, yet impactful effect, ensuring this look is perfect for everything from special occasions, to days spent gallery hopping. The ideal finishing touch? The roomy ‘Valentino Garavani Roman Stud’ handbag in smooth leather, which also features the maison’s signature stud detail in gold. Capacious enough to stow away all your daily essentials (and then some), it is a modern, multipurpose bag for busy lives on the go.

Trans-seasonal outerwear is a must as we transition through the seasons or travel across the globe, and a chocolate-brown cape offers optimum versatility. For special occasions, layer it over one of the bead-embellished shirts and mini shorts. Or, take your cues from the runway and dress it down with denim and flat sandals.

The collection has an almost ethereal sense of movement; the luxe, light-as-air fabrics billowed as models glided down the runway, instantly transporting you to a promenade on a balmy day. These pieces lend a sense of escapism to every look – so, wherever you choose to wear them, you’ll be filled with a blissful summer mood.