Valentino fall 2022

Where to start? ... Well, there was lots and lots and lots of pink to the point of Pepto pink overload! Why on earth would you show pink clothes against a pink background as it does, as one might assume, make it quite difficult to actually see the clothes. Watching the live feed, it suddenly dawned on me where in my day the crowds gathered to see the designer, to get into the show or just feel the energy and pulse of fashion. Not the case here as apparently the crowds gathered outside was to see their favorite influencers/Instagrammers decked out in the literally the latest Valentino!

How many 20 somethings do you suppose can afford 4- and 5-digit price tags which brings me to the point of I cannot imagine the 100s of thousands of dollars spent on giving clothing to these young people as a reward for attending the show. PPP has officially recast the brand as one that is supposed to appeal to millennials and not ladies of a certain age or social standing.

Let’s speak to the styling ... hair, patent leather shoes, makeup ... duh... greasy haired boys don’t wear $5000 tops and as demonstrated on the runway, most girls of any age can barely walk in 3-inch heels let alone 3-inch platforms with 5-inch heels which made for many uneasy and cautious moments. There was no effort to glamorize the models and using cheap ass waterfall earrings didn’t help much and apparently there is a big push in the handbag area.

YES! I do have a few positive things to say that mixed into the seemingly endless parade of dross, there were some pieces that I think will sell and are pretty universal but let it be said... there was nothing new here in terms of design unless you count that egregious bra top or the sequin coverall shown at the start of the show. If anything, the bell skirted pieces seemed somewhat out of place as did Mona Bismarck opera coats and that curvilinear neckline which isn’t new!

Let’s face it, I’m no fan of his but this collection, take away so many bells and whistles, there are some commercially viable styles that will retail to HIS Valentino customer and maybe even to some of the old guard.

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Valentino couture spring 2022

So, what’s the message here? I saw odes to YSL, Courreges, Halston, Mona Bismarck and her Balenciaga opera coat and yet not one reference from the eponymous designer of this brand!

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There surely was a lot fabric used in the making of this collection which ranged from almost 2-dimensional flatness to voluminous shapes that swallowed the model. The color range was a highlight, yet it was more like a pantone color book than a well thought out palette... yes refreshing but at these prices you want something more than just colorful “stuff.”

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In his efforts to be inclusive, which he certainly was, he went overboard by showing some of these confections on more than reed slim models and that really didn’t work so well... cellulite is not something makes women dream! All in all, to me it told no story, it’s a lot shock, spectacle and awe but upon further examination it made not a lot of sense. Lots of nods to the pasts of others and to his own works but as a total it really didn’t have a lot to say. He made a point of conjuring all sorts of questions such as why an hourglass silhouette has on seam pockets, why do some dresses look like they were lopped off after the fact and where are you wearing a probably $20,000 3-piece suit with puddling pants and a bra top...if it sells at all I highly doubt it will be sold as shown!

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The feather lashes were been there done that and who in the world sends out a model with a hole in her stockings while wearing a 5-figure ensemble! Hair was neat/ slick, the model range was much larger than most and by that, I mean in size and age. It might have helped a bit if some of the models didn’t appear to be sleep walking. The men’s pieces were filler and superfluous and as once again why were they even shown!

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PS... don’t expect Sheikha Mozah banging down your door!

Valentino spring 2022

Okay, I give up, not that I had high expectations from this man but what was this? How many audiences is he “speaking” to and where are they wearing these stratospherically expensive, unflattering and unattractive clothes? Aside from the color palette which was kaleidoscopic to say the least, I want to know what’s the message here?  Where’s the brand DNA....  it sure isn’t gladiator sandals or Doc Martens!

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You would think that a brand of this stature, which has been fading fast, would avoid fingertip length sleeves, puddling pants and floor sweeping jackets, not to mention blue jeans.  Rompers? ... really! Who needs generic clothes at this price from this brand ...maybe he thinks that separates in taffeta are luxe ... well, they could be but not here?  In essence this collection is about color and fabric and surely not about design.

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I might also wonder about the styling... some models look like painted ladies and others look like no makeup and might I ask what woman carries a leather bag with a chain strap when wearing an evening gown? There are pieces that look like they came from Chicos and lots of pieces that look like some signora whipped them up on her Singer... no pattern necessary! Hair dyed to match the dress; it’s like amateur hour at FIT.  with nearly 100 exits one would think they might organize how this collection was shown instead it looked like who ever got dressed first or grabbed whatever outfit they wanted was pushed out no matter if supposed daywear or evening wear ... what are they thinking

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Valentino couture 2021

At first glance I was completely taken in but the color explosion which certainly was a welcomed sight this season but then the reality set it...the color palette looked like pantone book exploding and the clothes suddenly looked far more like ready to wear than couture.

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These is no doubt that the clothes that bear the label are impeccably made and should be at those prices but when you take a second look you see this is just another pile of clothes. Once upon a time a designer used couture as a hint or launch pad of what was to come for ready to wear that was soon to follow but in this instance where’s the difference?  Shows and their collections had a beginning, daytime, a middle, cocktail, and an end evening... they had a signature they were promoting whether it be a shape, an accessory, a pattern, a skirt length ...in general, a look. Well tell me what’s the look here other than a jumble of colors that even a goat would be attracted to.

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Phillips Treacy’s man of war feathered hats and a second skin LBD have nothing in common with high referenced YSL (shapes and patterns) or Cardin and more or moomoos. Yet that hat was the only thread that held this so called collection together. It was long, short, slim, loose, shapeless, second skin with little to no embellishment except sequins which can be bought by the yard.

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In essence what makes this couture ... what makes this a collection... where is the cohesion and what differentiates this from ready to wear? It would be far more entrancing to go back to the archive and bring back some of masterpieces that made the brand a juggernaut in the fashion world.

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So let the fashion media use up their collective supply of depends but be smarter and think about what I’ve written here!

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PS... wardrobe call ... Belle Watling and Divine ... fitting!

VALENTINO haute couture spring 2021

 Someone far smarter than I will need to explain to me what this is!! Why is this couture when so many pieces look like loving hands at home and there are men on the runways?  Then after that you can explain to me what the point of view is and who this appeals to!

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There is no point in me trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear...  this is just clothes with no point of view, no signature looks and just a name with highly generic clothes and ridiculous accessories and styling… so why is he considered such a great designer when every season he searches for a different client and he still has not carved out a signature look that he can call his own?

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So….  you tell me! The emperor has no new clothes!

Valentino couture spring 2020

So, here’s the thing...  what exactly is Pierpaolo trying to convey here? My thoughts are that he just makes clothes… no thread of continuity either within the collection or within the brand itself and certainly bears no resemblance to the once heralded and glorious original brand.

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 He is supposed to be a genius of how he has reawakened the brand and I say to what? One season its moomoos... one season it’s nuns, one season it's one size fits all, one season its fairy princesses and then there is this … which is what … hooker meets Princess Gloria Thurn und Taxis?  When you run out creativity and possibly talent you go for the sight gimmicks like big hair, nipples and headdresses. This is not Vegas baby and it’s not even as good as Vegas.

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It just so happens that there is a pink off the shoulder gown derived from a fall 1988 ready to wear collection. In its original state, it was black silk velvet with white charmeuse bows placed up and down the sleeves and it was glorious beyond words… but so was the entire collection. This one throws bows on dresses and I suppose one is to believe they were archivally inspired and if that’s the case he sure did take a wrong turn.

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The most beautiful pieces were the all-over sequin sheaths even though he added some that were backless and some with bow detailing on the rear of the gowns. The clothes are almost steroidally overblown in volume and proportion and I defy you to tell me that the purple u neck dress will look good on any living human being. While I’m on the subject who wants 6-inch stiff ruffles starting at the hip (most women’s sore point) forming and deep vee in flaming red? Again, and the naked nipple pieces are for what reason, where and why do they fit into the mix? 

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There is practically no day wear, but then again maybe the “genius” believes these frocks can be worn to the supermarket. Where are the gorgeous double-faced cashmere coats and jackets and exquisite wool dresses of times gone by or is it that his ladies now go from sweats to balls out looks that take the form of black-tie ball gowns.

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Someone will have to explain to me why this collection will be hailed and lauded as brilliant and why the myth that he is a brilliant designer is perpetuated season after season.

Valentino spring 2020

Okay so Pierpaolo seemingly removed a lot of yardage out of this collection but all he did was use the same amount of fabric without inflation. Between the ruffles, the shoulder treatments, the draping it’s all there just shifted around using softer fabrications.

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The problem he suffers from is that the brand has lost its signature/identity… every so often he jumps on something then switches gears like all the helium filled concoctions of the past few seasons. Now, there a ton of white and brights and actually some beautiful pieces but if you saw them alone you’d never identify them as being Valentino. Therein lies the fly in the ointment!

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The print dresses are pretty but so what, besides the price tags which are astronomical ....they are reasonably if not totally generic.  The collection is all over the place in every way... Where’s the direction, who is the customer???  

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Valentino was a brand that women drooled and swooned over, lusted after ... it was a brand that made sexy  clothes for rich women  and now it is for any woman who can pay the price and in particular is much  more inclined to say OH IT’S  A VALENTINO as if that matters. I mean from muumuus to baby dolls dresses and everything in between.

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If there is one consistency, it can said that e clothes have a very Middle Eastern flavor overall but maybe that is the customer that he aims for or not!  

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