So red was the rose at Giambattista Valli yesterday in Paris, where the designer signalled unashamed femininity with a collection that shunned the masculine menswear mode that we have all become accustomed to this season. Without a single trousered leg in sight, almost each and every flirtatious fixture was cut with a blossoming pannier silhouette, and even more so, all fabrics, shapes and prints taken into consideration point towards one thing, a woman’s prerogative.
Confident monochrome prints took on a new kind of ink-blot animal print, for a streak of tribal ferocity that got Valli’s message across tactfully, but softly nonetheless, speaking of the creamy fuzziness of silken jacquard, brushed wool and downy alpaca with slight fur trims.
A blushing, profusely passionate colour palette, stained by the graphic floral prints of amorous roses, ranged from bashful baby pinks to deep-seated, lustful scarlets, finally tainted by a few drops of rich carmine berry hues. Short flared skirts were balanced out by the elongated sleeves of soft mini-dresses with kind sloped shoulders, by and large crafted lovingly, Valli explaining, “like the hug of a man around her”.
The A-line elegance is what doting devotees have come to expect from PFW, and with the kind of standards in pursuit of a couture allure, the designers statement is clear this season. A gallant statement which only a handful of rarefied designers have reiterated this season, based on the prospect that garments which care for the body, enshrine it if you will, flowing with its contours, in turn propagating supreme confidence and outright self-worth, will win out in the long run.
by Liam Feltham
Images courtesy of Style.com