Mood board: On his first voyage as the solo creative director at Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli's show notes stated that 'a new beginning demands a certain forgetfulness.' And though his memory did stall ever slightly from the sugary softness that had characterized his work with Maria Grazia Chiuri, Valentino's style DNA of womanly femininity was still very much at the core of the collection. Valentino's famed demure dresses were still here, but many had been loosened to give a draped, tunic-like effect and the workmanship was still dizzying on delicately embroidered tulle dresses.
Best in show: The show opened with a whoppingly beautiful pink and black pleated cocktail dress with velvet appliqués. That sense of graphic goodness popped up again here and there in the collection, especially on a wonderful embroidered trench coat, but the very strongest look came as another book-end in the show, as the very last model showed off a prim, but ultra-modern full-length color-blocked gown.
Finishing touches: Flat Grecian sandals wrapped up with pretty ribbons were worn with near every look - even with mid-winter mink coats and fancy dresses. When the heel went up, it was done without the pain of a stilletto; it was just softly lifted as a a whole base on a flat form elegant sandal.
-
Dine within a rationalist design gem at the newly opened Cucina TriennaleCucina Triennale is the latest space to open at Triennale Milano, a restaurant and a café by Luca Cipelletti and Unifor, inspired by the building's 1930s design
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear seasonBetween the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
Meet artist Michael McGregor, using hotel stationery as his canvasMichael McGregor unveils an exclusive postcard set made with notepads from The Luxury Collection properties in Minneapolis, San Francisco and Savannah
-
Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
-
Inside the new Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti in Rome, which opens with an ode to ‘Valentino Red’Wallpaper* gets a private tour of the new Roman institution, PM23, which opens with an exhibition of ‘dialogues’ between Valentino Garavani’s designs and a catalogue of red-hued contemporary art
-
Palace unites with Rapha to celebrate inaugural Tour de France FemmesMarking the first time women will compete in the historic cycling race since the late 1980s, this new collaboration sees Palace Skateboards and Rapha create uniforms for both on and off the bike – including an ‘outlandish’ pair of Crocs
-
Valentino’s theatrical new exhibition celebrates the house founder’s 90th birthdayAt Teatro Sociale di Voghera, a new exhibition marks seminal designer Valentino Garavani’s 90th birthday, collating pieces from his time at the helm with ‘Valentino red’ taking centre stage
-
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022: Chanel to Miu MiuIn this extended report, Wallpaper* updates you live from Paris Fashion Week A/W 2022 shows, with rolling coverage as runway events unfold
-
Valentino’s new Beijing exhibition explores the role of fashion‘Re-Signify Part Two’ juxtaposes items from the Valentino archive and the work of contemporary artists such as Cao Fei, Xu Zhen, and Nick Knight
-
Scene-stealing runway sets from S/S 2022 womenswear showsFrom giant roulette wheels to Olympic diving boards and multi-city synchronized extravaganzas – our pick of the best fashion show sets from S/S 2022 womenswear
-
Valentino Des Atelier Haute Couture sees fashion and art collideSeventeen contemporary artists enter a dynamic dialogue around dressing to create Valentino’s A/W 2021 Des Ateliers Haute Couture collection
