Alessandro Michele’s Roman follies come to Valentino

Since Alessandro Michele left Gucci in 2022, the fashion world has gradually lost color, a little of its grandeur too, gradually passing under the banner quiet luxury this minimalism as luxurious as it is discreet which has reigned supreme in recent years. So when the CEO of the Valentino house, Jacopo Venturini, called him to take over the reins of the illustrious Italian house, and that, after three days of negotiations, the latter said yes in March 2024, the inconsolable people of his maximalism extravagant and poetic began to dream again. Only two months after his appointment, the Italian designer revealed a first plethoric and refined cruise collection of 171 silhouettes where long silky floral dresses and seventies velvet suits generously adorned with pearls and turbans took us straight back into his dreamlike aesthetic.

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“When I left Gucci, I had the impression that most of the people who contacted me looked at me like King Midas,” he confided in an interview with the magazine BOF a few days ago. It must be said that at the height of his glory at Gucci, between 2015 and 2019, the star designer tripled the brand’s annual revenues, reaching almost 10,000 euros, a dizzying figure for the luxury sector. had never known one. “But I don’t think Valentino’s vocation is to become a multi-billion euro brand,” he told journalist Tim Blanks. It’s too big. You will destroy beauty, because it is as fragile as the dresses Mr. Valentino has made in the past. It is a place that must be protected. It’s the greatest wardrobe ever.”

The charm of a haunted house

If the bearded creator with long hair wearing a cap does not want to become the one who turns everything he touches into gold, he is still expected to be the messiah. It’s an understatement to say that his first ready-to-wear collection for Valentino is the most maddening of this Spring Summer 2025 Fashion Week. The seventies pop rock invitation card called Le Pavillon des Folies seems straight out of the den by Vernon Subutex but has been circulating virally on TikTok since yesterday. On this Sunday, September 29, a group of young people are already installed from 11 a.m. around the rather unusual location planned for the parade at 3 p.m. They got the address on Twitter and are waiting for celebrities and guests hoping to photograph some eccentric looks. The first elected officials arrive at the appointed time in front of Le Dojo de Paris, the judo institute, an ultra-modern building located at Porte de Châtillon in Paris, marked by a spherical copper dome whose shape is reminiscent of a samurai helmet.

Inside, a huge black room lined with voile curtains with furniture and lampshades covered like a haunted house awaits guests. The ground is shattered like a broken mirror. François Henri-Pinault makes his entry (Kering finalized the acquisition of a 30% stake in Valentino in 2023) in the arms of Salma Hayek. The latter, wearing a turban, kisses Valeria Golino. Elton John and Harry Styles take the tension up a notch. Jared Leto, Alessandro’s indestructible twin brother in a richly embroidered blue kimono jacket puts on a show. Andrew Garfield (Spiderman) is much wiser, Carla Bruni and her sister Valeria Bruni Tedeschi strike a pose.

“The show is about to start” announces a voice in the room. Into this twilight strangeness, the first model walks forward in a black dress with a ruffled hem, a white bib decorated with bow ties and red tights. Extravagance is back. Beauty, elegance and sumptuousness too. Valentino spirit, are you there? Yes, there is red, polka dots, a profusion of ruffles and pleated collars at the necklines. For these Italian bourgeois women, dressing is an art, they want to escape from the ambient grayness and reenact Roman follies. While they go out into the street in lace tights, the boys join them with their pearl necklaces and suede bags with fringes and rivets which they quickly steal from them. On the feet, white boots with black polka dots or pumps punctuated with bows at the ankle add even more style.

These day and night beauties parade in long, delicate and ultra-refined dresses (very Valentino), wear mini-skirts trimmed with faux fur hems and jackets fastened with romantic bows. Ornaments cascade, rhinestones and flowers dot the boleros, Maharaja turbans, veils and pheasant feather hats adorn the most daring styles, while boas and opulent jewelry follow suit. A cat head bag is part of this “dress to impress” wardrobe. And head jewelry and piercings bring the essential punk touch to this slightly decadent aristocratic dance.

Moreover, some do not hesitate to go out in micro bras and silk negligees. Others play it more boyish in tuxedo jackets and pants and still others replay a more 80’s score in jeans and a gathered polka dot print bustier. Alessandro Michele comes to say hello, in jeans, a red checkered shirt and a cap on his head. Applause. The guests seem captivated, those who watched it on their computer praise the beauty of the parade. Paris is still gray but a desire to dress in something other than black may have finally arisen.