Forget dress codes and formality – Valentino interprets “black tie” literally, to challenge the conventions of dressing, and emphasize fluidity and individuality.
How many ways can you style a black tie? That’s the question Valentino posed on its runway for the Fall-Winter 2023 collection. The black tie as an accessory, took centrestage against a pared back palette with pops of red. Knotted, untied, unfettered – the black tie flows between day and evening wear, morphing into different permutations on shirts, dresses, and gowns, worn by men and women alike.
Finding freedom in uniformity is possible in Pierpaolo Piccioli’s eyes. Wear your shirts oversized or cropped, and pair them with skirts that are slinky or mini; dress in jackets that exaggerate the shoulders or choose a form fitting that exposes the shoulders – it is all up to you. Even with just black and white, you can express yourself in bold stripes, huge checks or ostrich feathers. And who said bow ties only belong on necks? If an entire shirt dress covered in bow ties is your vibe, then go for it.
The beauty of the Black Tie collection lies in the creative reinterpretation of familiar everyday go-to styles. Extremely wearable yet distinctively stylish, each piece features immaculate tailoring that shows Maison Valentino’s unique vocabulary of couture gestures, graphic pattern, and superlative craft, all built on its foundational values.
With a balance of heritage and modernity, renaissance and punk, the FW23 collection brings out the multifaceted identity of Valentino. Noticeably, the collection also points towards the contemporary vision of the brand with the Rockstud, first introduced in 2010, punctuating the show.
There is the reissue of the covetable Valentino Garavani Rockstud pumps in patent leather with tone-on-tone studs along the signature straps, and the feminine yet rebellious Valentino Garavani Rockstud ballerinas with studded details along the upper, in bold colours and materials. Giving the looks in the collection the final perfecting touch are the Valentino Garavani Rockstud bags in a variety of shapes and sizes – from shoulder bags to handbags and clutches.
The collection was showcased in the historic Parisian venue of the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, where Maison Valentino also demonstrated its commitment, as a brand, to seek sustainable pathways. The wooden benches in the show space will be collected and reused by the Maison for future events and projects, while the moquette covering the entire catwalk perimeter will be totally recycled by its Italian supplier that is driven by an environmentally-conscious ethic. The brand will also donate part of the textile materials of the fashion show setup to the non-profit organization La Réserve des arts with the purpose of fostering circular economy among the student community and professionals from cultural fields who can give them new life, so as to perpetuate a virtuous circle of
creativity.
Images courtesy of Valentino, artwork by Curatedition. All rights reserved.
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