A mischievous vibe ran through the new collection Alessandro Michele designed for Valentino, with the cheeky attitude spelled out loud and clear via the words “Villain Teen” that occasionally popped up printed on leotards or embroidered on baseball caps. A pun on the brand’s name and a nod to Michele’s own “enfant terrible” inclination, the motto is “a bit of an invitation to transgression through beauty” and to “maintain a childlike heart, but also a bit irreverent,” said the designer in a preview.
“Who knows if I’m talking about myself unconsciously? The other day I was thinking that I’m a bit of a gentle villain, in the sense that I do as I please,” he quipped. “But I think it’s nice to restore a certain playfulness and lightness into something that lived of sumptuousness and distance.”
Hence the resort 2027 collection, where Michele mixed high and low in offering his take on preppy style and the house’s polished codes. The motto pieces were combined with tailored pleated pants; bon ton boxy jackets were layered over fleece sweatshirts and denim skirts; collegiate striped shirts and cardigans or delicate see-through blouses were tucked into joggers, while tracksuits seamlessly coexisting with opulent sequined jackets were grounded in high-heeled suede boots or the new Rockstuds pumps.
Preppy tailoring and tartan separates spanning from ruched jackets to pleated skirts were thrown into the collegiate mix, while more eccentric animalier options including shearling jackets with intarsia-like motifs and ankle-length coats evoked lavish wardrobe treasures passed down from one generation to another.
For Michele it was all about having a Valentino 2.0 for a new generation, who’s looking at the aristocratic and jet-setting nature of the brand with new eyes, a dash of too-cool-to-care spirit and ultimately a “sense of freedom toward beautiful things.”
“The daily schedule is no longer what it was 50 years ago, when probably many of these dresses were worn during a trip, at a vernissage, or on occasions where there were many [outfit] changes and when life was kind of caged in rituals that exist less and less today,” said Michele. “The crossovers in a wardrobe are now a fixture of our times, in the sense that none of us dress following diktats. There is a promiscuity of beautiful and comfortable things that I find interesting.”
The overall nonchalance of characters and their looks contrasted with the frescoed interiors of Villa Gaia Gandini, the 15th-century location in Milan where Michele set the look book images to continue to build his cinematic narrative around historic Italian palazzos.
But rather than being destined for a sheltered elite, the venue’s gates seem to be open to everyone in Michele’s imagination. In the second set of key words, used on Valentino red padded jackets and patches, he spelled out the invitation “You can come to my villa,” playing with the brand’s logo.
It was a flashy motif that contrasted with the craftsmanship behind some of the pieces, detectable in the artisanal techniques behind the chain-like details on a pristine cropped jacket with slightly puffed shoulders, the rich embroideries covering the more dazzling tailored options, as well as in the twisted construction on the front of a simple tangerine short dress.
As always, such expertise climaxed in the eveningwear and its cornucopia of tulle, embroideries, sequins and sizzling embellishments displayed in tiered short dresses, dreamy chiffon gowns and beaded fringed capes that would melt even the coolest of these Valentino “It” girls.
