Valentino Showed an 80’s Club Haute Couture Collection in Paris

Jan 26

Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, wowed Paris once again with a couture show titled “Le Club Couture”at Pont Alexandre III along the Seine. The show was full of whimsy garments and gowns. The collection was full of fun, bright and loud garments that are straight out of a fantasy book or Capital clothing from the book The Hunger Games. Through this collection, it is clear that Piccioli is turning towards more styles and color for Valentino, pushing the envelope and the brands previous style choices while also changing what the typical look of haute couture is. When talking to Vogue about the show, Piccioli said, “Of course, I love it that haute couture is about the magic of impossible challenges…it’s about craft, and we talk about that all the time, but I also love it when couture feels effortless,” he said. “It’s all about the feeling of having something for yourself. It’s kind of democratic in a way, in the idea of showing this freedom of being whoever you want to be.”

You can see this through his latest collection. Each garment has a sense of individuality and originality that only Valentino can achieve. Haute couture is a field that has always been associated with a certain type of luxury. However, there is no one way to do couture; original and fun styles can still come out of couture collections. He found inspiration for this collection through clubs in the 80s like Studio 54 and The New Romantic Blitz Club.

These places had party goers that were known for their original fashion sense and gender inclusive style. Piccioli goes on to say, “The difference was that then, it was behind closed doors. Now it’s something we have for life. It’s today’s way of freedom. So I love the idea of a club, but it’s a club for today,” he said. “Thinking of inclusivity as welcoming people for who they are, and who they want to be. So it's [an] invitation to be free to be what you want ro be, mixed with the codes of Mr. Valentino in the ’80s.”

BTS’ Suga (Left), Sam Smith (Center) and Charli XCX (Right) Courtesy of L’Officiel

Valentino spared no expense on the guest list with celebrities such as Doja Cat, BTS’ Suga and Sam Smith filling the front row watching the show dressed in Valentino pieces. Piccioli was not afraid to try everything for this collection with various fabrics, styles and colors being in the collection, there truly was something for everyone. Of course, the iconic Valentino Pink made some appearances in the show along with neon green, red, yellow.The garments were made from a variety of fabrics that added both texture and body to each garment giving them each their own personality and sense of movement. This collection featured unisex looks with both men’s and women’s garments being in the show. The garments had extravagant embellishments, with many garments having feathers, sequins, ruffles, crystals and pleating. It is great to see that Piccioli strived to give each look its own flare and uniqueness. It gives the collection an extra flare and makes it more memorable to people.

Courtesy of The San Diego Union - Tribune

Valentino couture is something that I always look forward to every year because they are never afraid to do something different and out of the box. They always bring something new to the table and redefine what couture is or looks like. They use excellent design and craftsmanship to create amazing and memorable couture collections. Whether it be through color, fabrics, silhouettes or all three, Valentino knows how to outdo themselves time and time again. Watch the full show and see all of the looks here.

Here are the best looks from the show: