Valentino Haute Couture Wants Us Wearing Less and Going Out More
It's giving "Hotline Bling," but wild, beautiful and couture.
Hand-made faux taxidermy at Schiaparelli dropped jaws, while Doja Cat's repurposing of false lashes captured hearts and laughter at Viktor & Rolf. Valentino carried on this season's excellence with its latest collection, which is a fabulous take on club fashion, but done the extravagant and unapologetically haute couture way
Donning a name that inspires the image of disco, the house's Haute Couture Spring 2023 line by Pierpaolo Piccioli is appropriately titled "Le Club Couture," and delivers exceptionally on the promise. Flowy collars and opera gloves give ensembles a fashionable flair. Men's shirts drape romantically and tease chests. Tights are bright, bikinis are dazzled. Capes and gowns billow dramatically. And Valentino continues its love affair with loud colors: Matching the character of its bright PP Pink, neon yellow seems to be the shade du jour.
"Couture is a sphere of fantasy and freedom, of the unique and exceptional, where craft is not a fetishistic reflection of value but a means and methodology to achieve improbabilities, to challenge perceptions, to create bold new realities," the show notes read. "Fabric becomes a chiaroscuro across the body, volumes float, cuts are imperceptible, a ribbon of chiffon may suspend a ball gown. The unbelievable becomes material, imagination becomes real."
Based on this runway, Club Valentino would be a glamorous, multi-level venue where you could wear whatever you wanted, but especially that one outfit you've been waiting to flaunt. There'd be a roomy ballroom for those in their gowns, and an equally lavish space for those in little dresses. And of course, the drinks, napkins and hors d'oeuvres would all be colored PP Pink.
The pandemic is not over, but as we hope to approach its true dusk, Valentino reminds us of the joy in a night of glamor and dancing endlessly.
See the full Valentino Spring 2023 Haute Couture collection below.
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