Thu 26th January
At this point in the proceedings, we start to lose the ability to formulate sentences and instead just gawp silently in delight. So excuse us if this is a little disjointed. We’ll start by calling this a Valentino flight of fancy. A flight of feminine fancy. A flurry of beautiful gowns. It moved away a little from the specific historical references of the last couple of seasons, here, instead, becoming a study in beauty itself – ethereal goddesses who seemed to levitate down the catwalk. A sweet (but not saccharine) colour palette of pinks and pastels, some touches of Valentino red. Elongated column gowns, delicate pleating, sheer, shimmering layers that lay atop. Delicate sparkling embellishments revealed in movements, like hidden treasures. And even a palette cleanser of of simple, almost minimal, tailoring. Can couture be modern? A question repeated season after season. Here, in the hands of Pierpaolo Piccioli, the answer was yes. Because his mastery comes in drawing a beauty from the past and translating it for a new generation of women. And what better note to end our couture adventures on than that? Over and out.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
