Pierpaolo Piccioli has done it again, with an artful celebration of color and beauty.
Pierpaolo Piccioli has done it again, with an artistic celebration of color and beauty.
While it would be politically unwise to admit it in a mixed company, every fashion week has a show everyone looks forward to the most, one that can be relied upon to inspire up the fun and give editors and buyers a break from their burnout and fatigue. During the haute couture season in Paris, I think it’s fair to say that, for many, it’s Valentino. And for Fall 2021, Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli did not disappoint. In fact, he may have come out on top.
While going through photos of Piccioli’s latest product, I experienced the kind of real emotion that usually only occurs during live performances, and extremely rarely. I was blown away, in awe, joy, inspiration. If I had gone there in person, I imagine I would have shed tears. “Well,” “I mean…,” “God,” and “Are you kidding?” are incredible words and phrases that pop into my head as I watch.
Each look is like a work of art, with every detail considered its overall effect and presentation. And it was no coincidence: Piccioli invited a group of artists to the tailor shop to collaborate on the collection for an experimental project called Valentino Des Ateliers.
“Based on the alchemy process of Atelier’s work, and therefore by other manufacturers, with a focus on listening and slowness of the process, Pierpaolo Piccioli transfers color layers, markings, backgrounds, blank and full sections into lines, cuts, compositional gestures, involving each artist in a conversation that requires the attention of the dress itself,” reads a press release. “The result is a set of dialogues in which a new identity emerges from the confrontation of the two, and is caught in the dress.”
While the release made it clear that Piccioli did not believe fashion in itself could be defined as art, the designer focused on the idea that couture should be the ultimate expression of ideals. imagination and creativity. This also inspired the show’s venue, Venice, a city that, he said, “creates authentic and spontaneous vibrations of art, theatre, music, architecture, cinema. and everything to do with creativity.” La Biennale di Venezia at the Gaggiandre of the Arsenale provided a beautiful but not overwhelming backdrop to the runway.
