Alessandro Michele reveals his first looks

Valentino creates a surprise by revealing the first silhouettes of Alessandro Michele. While he was due to make his big debut during Paris Fashion Week on September 29, the new creative director lifts the veil on the new direction he intends to give to the Roman house through a first luxurious cruise collection, dedicated to spring 2025, which clearly bears its mark.

The fact that this first collection, mischievously titled “Before the debut”, was unveiled on Monday, on the last day of the Milanese fashion shows, with the Gucci show on the program, from which Alessandro Michele was dismissed in November 2022, must surely be a coincidence . Arriving at the beginning of April at the Roman house, which has been owned since 2012 by Mayhoola, the investment company of the Qatari royal family, the flamboyant designer immediately got to work by delving into the archives.

In less than three months, he created a vast collection of 171 looks for women and men, as evidenced by the lookbook sent to journalists, marking a clear break with the work of his predecessor Pierpaolo Piccioli, who left last March. If we find the abundance of patterns, colors and precious details which characterized the work of Alessandro Michele at Gucci, the subject seems to have calmed down with ultra-precious silhouettes for the evening, but also sets and more pieces sober and simple for the day, such as polo shirts, shirts, loose pleated shorts, cardigans, suits and suits, and certain monochrome looks.

A multitude of sophisticated accessories

The whole nonetheless remains very chic, playing on details to enhance the most minimalist looks. The jeans are therefore lined with precious fabrics, simulating the cuffs at the bottom of the legs. A kimono jacket replaces the traditional blazer. Above all, the emphasis is placed on multiple sophisticated accessories, which immediately define the silhouette, from white lace socks to precious ribbon belts, including bags and jewelry, but also the turban for women.

While referring to different periods of the past, the designer focused on the flourishing period of the 1970s, even reinterpreting the own looks adopted at the time by founder Valentino Garavani, known for his extreme elegance.

It offers large raw cotton blouses, pretty canvas jackets decorated with embroidery or even suede bags with long fringes for men, gypsy dresses with ruffles, pussy-bow shirts, capes and mini-skirt suits. for women. All made in silks and muslins with floral prints, but also in tulle, velvet and beautiful cotton.

Implicitly, Alessandro Michele manages to capture the essence of Valentino in its golden period, when the house dressed the jet-set, without falling into a basic rereading. The famous Valentino red is barely evoked through a few silhouettes or pieces, or diverted as in this red and white houndstooth check dress reminiscent of a “trattoria” tablecloth. He also works on the total white look, another Valentino classic. This cruise collection offers a first exploration, which the stylist will explore further in the coming months.