Valentino presents a timeless pre-fall 2020 collection
Reimagining couture inspirations through a contemporary lens, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s mid-season offering is one to buy now and love forever
For pre-fall 2020, Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s mission was to break the rules of the mid-season collection known for its low-key wares. Widely regarded as a season for sensible pieces – dialled down versions of more extravagant runway silhouettes – Piccioli turned this idea on its head and instead blurred the boundaries between couture and casualwear, off-duty and occasion style; let’s call it, decadent daywear.
The Italian designer’s directive is consistently to celebrate couture values but to reframe them in a contemporary context. With this in mind, he conjured a one-and-done jersey mini dress with lavish crystal details – the kind that can be worn with heels for a dramatic evening look or dressed down with patent leather brogues and semi-sheer tights for a cooler take on after-dark dressing – an attitude Piccioli encourages. Elsewhere, a high-neck, sleeveless knitted dress is transformed with a fringe of fabulous feathers and a subtly sexy side slit. Wear it layered over a white shirt with knee-high boots for a look that is at once demure and daring.
As ever, Piccioli turned to the maison’s legendary archives to inform this modernism-meets-classicism aesthetic. This time around, he was charmed by a varied set of references, ranging from a striking print of Delft blue vases from an ultra-refined 1968 couture collection, to a lively image of models in hot pants, shot by Chris von Wangenheim in the 1970s. Espousing these two ends of the sartorial spectrum, the collection oozes with the kind of elegant irreverence Valentino is loved for, while still offering pieces that will plug the holes in your closet for unique daywear.
“Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s mission was to break the rules of the mid-season collection known for its low-key wares
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Take the exquisitely crafted Delft blue, blouson-sleeved shirt dress. For fans of the brand, the intricate ceramics-inspired pattern will call to mind the house’s exquisite fall/winter 2013 collection. The sophisticated print lends an ornate, high-fashion appeal to the clean-lined silhouette. Meanwhile, it’s easy and ultra-flattering shape makes it an ideal day-to-night dress. For his pre-fall lookbook, which was shot in Valentino’s palatial Rome studio in the historic Palazzo Mignanelli, the dress is styled understatedly with laid-back wedge heels and a leather shoulder bag – follow suit with one of the ‘Supervee’ logoed bags (named after its supersized gold-tone ‘V’ hardware) and a pair of comfortable but elevated block-heeled shoes.
Small but perfectly formed, the sleek ‘Supervee’ is perfect for days spent in the city when you need to neatly stow away all of your essentials – it even comes with a handy slip pocket for cards and an adjustable strap so you can wear it in myriad ways. Or, for a moment of unrestrained glamour, reach for the luxe brocade gown in black and blue and style it with a statement Valentino waist belt and fine-heeled sandals. This highly coveted Valentino belt is cut from a firm leather in a generous width and fastens with the unmistakeable ‘V’ buckle logo.
It comes as no surprise that Piccioli started out specializing in accessories – first, at Fendi, before joining Valentino in 1999 – as his attention to detail is incomparable. Throughout his 21-year tenure, Piccioli has celebrated the house’s couture roots while breathing a new creative verve into its collections. By borrowing from the past to inform fashion’s present, Piccioli maintains a sense of timeless beauty within his ultra-modern classics.
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