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Valentino presented a dizzying display at Paris haute couture week, fusing the past and present in theatrical, ostentatious designs.
As the most hotly anticipated show of the week, Valentino’s spring/summer 2025 show was Alessandro Michele’s debut couture outing at the Italian fashion house.
The collection was titled Vertigineux, meaning dizzy, which Michele certainly delivered, in the form of flashing lights, clashing colours and striking silhouettes.
Joining as creative director in April 2024, Michele came from Gucci, where he had been at the helm since 2015.
While at Gucci, Michele introduced the now archetypal bamboo handles and became famed for his maximalist aesthetic.
He reshaped the brand with his magpie taste for vintage bohemia, and his tenure became known as Gucci’s Renaissance.
It is then no surprise that haute couture onlookers were eager to see what he would muster from the rich tapestry of Valentino’s archive this week.
In signature style, Michele served up an eclectic smorgasbord of 48 looks combining both old and new.
Gowns ranged from harlequin printed Renaissance court gowns to sultry Nineties V necks adorned with wide 19th century style skirts.
As eccentric and extraordinary as anything he did for Gucci, but with an exquisite femininity that can only be Valentino; Michele presented frills, bows and capacious silhouettes juxtaposed against a digital backdrop, while Prokofiev’s Dance Of The Knights boomed through the speakers.
It was with excitement that Valentino served up a colourful display, as fashion seems to have fallen into a quiet luxury funk, Michele’s maximal, more-is-better approach boosted the mood of haute couture show-goers.
The refined femininity of Valentino was set off by Michele’s quintessential quirk for layering juxtaposing shapes, styles and fabrics.
“They want to keep and preserve the flame forever,” Michele said of Valentino’s culture.
“I’m going to be one of the people that try to manage the flame. But I’m going to be just one.
“The flame is the thing that you must keep alive.”
