Valentino's legacy
10:13 PMJennie Barck
Here's a little article I wrote on Valentino
Valentino’s legacy
During
their latest fashion week show Valentino produced a collection
influenced by Roman opera and operatic characters, staying true to
the Italian heritage, and using traditional handmade methods of
creating singular masterpieces.
Maria
Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the head designers of
Valentino since 2008, once again painted a picture of an elegant
Italian woman through excellent craftsmanship and elegant
silhouettes, but this time with a more obvious modern twist. Their
use of the fantasy world of opera as an inspiration is something that
Valentino Garavani himself could have done, but their take on it has
a more contemporary feel. Even Valentino’s signature red was
influenced by theatrical curtains as to show the dramatic effect of
women and proves how their intentions are the same. In the couture
dresses of Maria and Pier, you can see naive and animalistic fairy
tale embroidery, while a dress by Garavani could possibly have had an
elegant animal print instead.
In
an ever changing world, it is getting increasingly harder to
establish and even harder to conserve a brand with a universal image
of its distinct style. In several people’s opinion, this is what
Valentino has managed to do, being one of the first Italian brands to
become internationally renowned. What happens when the creative
director of a brand that represents a certain style leaves, is what
Valentino's story is all about. It is about keeping that elegance
that is tied to its cultural roots, excellence in each gowns quality
and sophistication of a bold modern woman. The tradition of Valentino
is what distinguishes it from other designers.
The
duo is said to have embraced Valentino’s legacy whole heartedly
through representing the never ending elegance and femininity, and
still managing to react to contemporary influences. Their latest
couture collection is the perfect example of this effort, even though
they were immediately praised for keeping the distinct style alive.
In fact, the designers have increased the brand’s survival in the
future by adapting to changes in fashion and bringing the brand
forward in its journey. Valentino has thrived for so long, winning
people’s hearts over, it would be a shame to see it fall behind or
dwell in the past.
Maria
and Pier have a clear vision of what the future of Valentino looks
like. In Maria’s mind it is “something which is about fragility
and beauty, something light—a reaction to the time we’re in.”
and she seems to be sensitive to influences from modern aspects and
has a genuine Valentino like mindset. Pier on the other hand says
that they have “worked hard to weave the past with our own style,
to make it something modern with an edge” and seems to be more like
the brains of the partnership, the edgier persona, which is what they
have produced so far: a mixture of elegance and edge. What has to be
kept in mind is that what used to be a one man fashion house is now a
collaborative effort of two, which causes a different atmosphere and
could potentially create collections with more variety.
The
extraordinary balance of tradition and experimentation is possibly
due to Maria’s and Pier’s suitability to work together as
designers. Ever since having met at Fendi, their common vision and
equal curiosity in developments of fashion have created a partnership
where both parties get involved. They together have brought new winds
to Valentino as the creative directors, appointed by Garavani
himself, and are opening a new chapter in the Valentino story. As
Valentino Garavani said, “Over the years I wrote only one story,
the one of my style, where each collection represents a single
chapter, with all of its emotions, ideas and motifs. The looks may
change with every chapter, but the main characters are the same.”
So
now that Garavani is gone, does the story continue? Do we feel
nostalgic over rosso valentino, the signature red, or do we open our
arms to the new ideas of the new designers? Valentino has not been a
revolutionary designer in everyone’s eyes, but he has been the key
maker of Italian style and brought people’s eyes on Italy to see
its charm and intrinsic style. Even if it is like a story coming to
an end that you have been dreading to finish, because you don’t
want to say goodbye yet, the brand is not going anywhere. There is
still a lot to see and experience from the new head designers of
Valentino, and so far they have been proving themselves very talented
and capable of taking the brand forward while keeping its legacy.
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