A CHANGE of perspective was inevitable. But for Pierpaolo Piccioli, he decided to look at the process and rewind. Ideas become sketches in the studio which in turn manifest themselves onto mannequins in ateliers, however fashion is not about these earlier moments, fashion is given a life once it touches the streets.
When the runway and pavement meet, the beauty of existence and its imperfection discover an equilibrium emphasised by the unique wearer.
On a quest to bring the street to the runway, creative director Piccioli wanted to root the heritage of Valentino into his spring-summer 2022 collection while ensuring the reality of life was evident through the versatility of looks.
With this in mind, the designer understood that movement was at the core of the clothing this season, made more powerful with the use of Valentino vocabulary.
Past icons of the house were given a new lease of life as the animal print coat, Marisa Berenson white dress from the 1960s and long floral dresses originally photographed by Chris von Wangenheim were all reimagined this season.
Tailoring took a new turn by pushing volumes into bigger dimensions enhancing physicality and hinting at sensuality through revealing parts of the body.
Taffeta, a well-loved couture material, was washed, beaten and stripped of its preciousness and transformed into jackets, anoraks, and shirts, while denim has a luxury fashion moment as it is inlaid with embroidery referred to as broderie anglaise.
With swaps a common theme in SS22, evening-wear becomes a thing of the past with intricate detailing moving from gowns to outerwear – which up close, makes you question whether the couturiers have had a hand at it due to the extraordinary intricacies now found on raincoats.
This collection stripped fashion back to clothes. Clothes we not only want but need. Piccioli wasn’t dumbing down fashion though to make it accessible, I mean look at the prices, but it was about making it a little more simple but going beneath the surface layer the references were rooted in the Italian fashion brand bringing back the past subtly.
The collection above anything else was a breath of fresh air, no huge exaggeration and fantasy, just honest realism. It felt real.
by Imogen ClarkÂ