S'09: Couture Valentino

Valentino

PARIS, January 28, 2009

By Sarah Mower

Following the not entirely elegant dismissal of Alessandra Facchinetti after two short seasons and the promotion of the accessory team as her replacements, the house of Valentino needs to regain its sense of equilibrium. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli had backup on their first outing as haute couturiers. The retired Valentino Garavani and his entourage descended into the arena (a grand domed lecture theater in the Sorbonne) to endorse the debut, taking their ringside seats amid the kind of applause that might have once been accorded to a Roman emperor.

It is rather sad that Valentino was not able to thwart this problem pre-retirement. But I found a lot of the new clothes to be classic Valentino:?
Love it! And, true to form, most of the clothes are totally wearable just like V would have made them. They're couture because of how they are made and the material that composes them.

See? Righteous.
There is one Valentino-esque thing I find lacking: sexism. I don't know what it was about the old orange man but his clothes always evoked a tinge of a cringe in me. It had something to do with a certain tone he used to cast, something about a way women were supposed to look, had to look in order to be feminine? I'm not sure quite how to explain it but I don't find that element here.

Yeah, I think I get what you're talking about...and I think that element is called youth.

Because this?

Was not exactly the most youthful Valentino show I've ever seen. That said, I thought this show was fine. Beautiful bead work, but overall it was a little simple for my taste I think. I realize that this is a transition period for Chez Valentino (and as much as I didn't like their most recent Spring RTW collection, I'm kind of sad about Alessandra Facchinetti getting the boot, seeing as I did quite like her last couture show) and I hope these new people find their footing soon...but as is, I'm not super thrilled.

Still, if no one wears this to the Oscars

I will!
STATUS: Sounds like you liked it a little more than I did, but overall a good showing.