Pierpaolo Piccioli Presents Complexity Resolved with Valentino Un Château
This week in Chantilly, France, Valentino presented its haute couture Fall/Winter 2023-24 collection, “Valentino Un Château.” Extravagant in concept, yet streamlined in execution, the new offerings designed by the maison’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, channeled timeless elegance, creative expression, and decadent design. “Simplicity Is Complexity Resolved’,” a quote by Constantin Brancusi, started the show notes, tuning viewers to the resolution of all style conundrums.
Recalibrating “Château”
Shown just north of Paris at Château de Chantilly, the show began down the grand steps of the property, carrying onto white platforms that snaked through the lush grounds, winding around hedges and fountains. Piccioli’s presentation aimed to defy the notion of the château as something elite, rejecting the idea of this status as something assumed, something solely historic. Now, it’s a mindset, a recalibrated complexity that can be approached with simplicity and style.
Courtesy of Valentino.
Garments and accessories of elegance in Valentino Un Château
Garments billowed in the wind, with models holding their heads confidently to the sky. They glided along wearing complementary accessories and regal shoes. Earrings dripped in tiers of crystals and gemstones and garments were embroidered and embellished with fine-tuned details galore.
Courtesy of Valentino.
Courtesy of Valentino.
Details redefined in Valentino Un Château
Gowns, both minimalized and maximalized, flowed with trains, stood out with cuts, and caught attention with stunning floral embellishments. Jackets, capes, and coats with puffed flower details were punctuated by large crystals and sequins. Shoes were dotted with one flirty bow and were streamlined, regardless of proportions. Looks brimmed with feathers, perked up from the tops of high ballroom gloves and stretching far above the head, larger-than-life, rose-like silhouettes that wrapped around the face, and headdresses made of gleaming strands of crystals.
Denim, surprisingly, made a presence. Vintage Levi’s® 501 XX Big E jeans were the canvas for gilded embroidery, reinvented with construction and a trompe l’oeil of beadwork full of curiosity and preciousness. At “Un Château,” tensions were resolved, the freedom and creativity of history were pushed, and the future is inclusive for all.
Courtesy of Valentino.
