Valentino presents a free and more progressive woman in a collection like nothing else unveiled in Paris this season
On the penultimate day of a Paris Fashion Week dominated by a new order in which anoraks are the new twin sets, it fell to Valentino to bring elegance to the table.
Unveiling its latest collection in the heart of the Jardin du Tuileries, the house's resident designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli offered up a level of sophistication worthy of the ready to wear establishment.
The brand has built its image on producing ethereal clothes but this time the trend was more defined with ballerina dresses, tutus and lace up pumps high on the agenda. The result was a collection that is like nothing else unveiled in Paris this week.
Moving on from their signature modernist a-line gowns and ornate embroidery, the designers presented a free and more progressive woman with codes from punk thrown in alongside extreme femininity.
Nodding to Martha Graham, the reverential American modern dancer and choreographer, and to her contemporary Karole Armitage of the New York City Ballet, Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo presented knitted dresses with box pleats alongside elegant leotards.
With a grande jete and a pirouette, Valentino showcased teacher smocks in velvet and draped ballet dresses which were a clear cut highlight.
While Valentino’s ready to wear offering gets most of its airtime on the red-carpet, this collection saw off-duty style, albeit in luxury form, get its time of the catwalk with oversized roll necks presented alongside beautiful military coats.
The house also looked set to build on its popular accessory line with a satin ballet shoe set to replace its studded t-bar pumps as the front-row’s shoe of a choice.
In a week in which Paris’s biggest design houses have fought hard to connect with the youthful woman on the street, Valentino’s collection served to remind those who are tiring of puffa jackets that the city will always count on the old and new establishments to survive.
ArticleValentino puts on show like nothing else unveiled in Paris this seasonParis Fashion WeekValentinoMaria Grazia ChiuriPierpaolo PiccioliValentino at Paris Fashion Week AW16
Valentino at Paris Fashion Week AW16
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1/27 Valentino
Models walk the AW16 runway
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2/27 Valentino
Models walk the AW16 runway
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3/27 Valentino
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4/27 Valentino
Belt detail on the AW16 runway
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5/27 Valentino
Models walk the AW16 runway
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6/27 Valentino
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7/27 Valentino
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8/27 Valentino
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9/27 Valentino
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10/27 Valentino
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11/27 Valentino
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12/27 Valentino
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16/27 Valentino
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19/27 Valentino
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20/27 Valentino
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21/27 Valentino
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22/27 Valentino
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23/27 Valentino
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24/27 Valentino
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25/27 Valentino
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26/27 Valentino
Olivia Palermo
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27/27 Valentino
Designers Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri
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The house unveiled its latest showcase in the heart of the Jardin du Tuileries