Pierpaolo Piccioli steered Valentino in a new direction with his Spring/Summer 2021 Haute Couture set up in the heart of the Sala Grande of the Colonna Palace in Rome, surprising with a collection built on minimalist shapes, zero prints, towering metallic platforms, shots of neon color, lurex and allover sequins. There was also couture for men – a Valentino first.
‘’Time as a code and a value, to reset and reprogrammed in a couture of today that updates classic rituals and processes through garments designed to express oneself, as anyone desires. Women, men: naturally, smoothly. A wardrobe that draws and opens up possibilities’’, said the show note.
Called ‘’Code Temporal’’, Pierpaolo Piccioli explored the idea of temporality and purity of clothing – of color, volume and line. Line, in particular, appeared to be Piccioli’s main focus this time around and in a departure from his previous offerings, the predominant silhouette was long, lean and clean. And colors were nothing less than inspiring. A wonderfully bright magenta leads us to electric greens and turquoise blues, shades of saffron yellow and ochre.
Playing with volumes while highlighting the work done in the workshops, Piccioli also explored draping, layering and played with textures, offering precious and delicate fabrics. Giving a couture aesthetic to a reimagined hoodie or adding brightness to a draped evening grow gown or to an outerwear outfit, the shiny effects also adorned the faces of some models, a beauty highlight with futuristic accents.