RED VALENTINO

 

When I think about Valentino I think about red. Fire red. Rose red. Passion Red. Valentino himself once said "I think red is the most beautiful color for a lady in the evening". 2007 was the last year Valentino served his brand. When it comes to old brands like Valentino's one must respect it's history. Always looking foward for the next chapter, but always respecting the integrity of the line.

Left: Valentino archives 1966, right: Valentino archives 2004

Left: Valentino's first collection in 1959, Right: Valentino 1979

Valentino did not just thought red was the most beautiful colour, he used over and over again on his creations. So much indeed that most of us, mortals, when think about Valentino we think about red. 

I think Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have done a beautiful job creating new garments, with so much detail. The clothes are full of youthfulness and at the same time that they are timeless. Every season they create the most fresh garments. But after some time the beautiful garments became beautifully boring. Boring is the word that comes to my mind when I see a Valentino show. And flaming red is everything but boring.

Where did all the red go? What happened to the fire red? The rose red? Passion in Valentino changed drastically with Chiuri and Piccioli. Passion stopped being fiery red, as Valentino once did it, and became pastel passion. Pastel is another word that comes to my mind when I think about Valentino by Chiuri and Piccioli. Every season I see pastel roses, pastel fabrics, pastel girls. I'm vomiting pastel right now. I think when you take over such a big empire like Valentino's you have to honor his vision, you have to respect his vision. One must evolve but one mustn't leave the path that was drawn. 

Left: Valentino F/W 2011; Right: Valentino Haute Couture F/W 2011

Left: Valentino Haute Couture S/S 2012; Center: Valentino Haute Couture S/S 2011; Right: Valentino S/S 2012

Season after season, dresses after dresses, it becomes a big blah of pastel. I can't even identify if it is a spring/summer or a autumn/winter collection. I think the majority of the collections made by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli would made a astonishing collection. Just one big collection. That is the feeling I get season after season, show after show. This is a huge collection that they both design and they are showing us part by part. 

What Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli did at Valentino is truly an achievement. They gave a new feel to the brand, they made Valentino the desire of young girls all over the world without disrespecting the typical Valentino client. I just would like to see more diversity on the racks, more vibrant colours after this ocean of pastel. 

As you can see it's truly beautiful. But it becomes easily boring. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti change. I just want more fire in Valentino. In my opinion Valentino is fire red, love and passion. This garden Chiuri and Piccioli created is truly magnificent but season after season is not surprising. Interestingly Valentino became season less. There is no Summer or Winter at Valentino. It's always spring. It's always spring at Valentino, and spring isn't spring without flowers. So here you have, a forever lasting spring full of pastel flowers on the catwalks of Valentino. 

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