Yesterday, Valentino presented a coed Pre-Fall 2019 show in Tokyo featuring couture level craftsmanship and undone tailoring, designed for modern day dressing.
It was the first time the fashion house staged a runway in Japan since the Eighties with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli exploring a particular love for the country and culture. It was also the first time he showed both men’s and women’s line at the same time, perhaps a nod towards gender neutral dressing that’s taking over the contemporary fashion scene.
Many expected to see some streetwear influence, but Piccioli was determined to stick the codes of the house and bring that aesthetic to the streets. So as a result we saw the familiar glamour, beautifully manipulated fabrics, volume and wide play of texture – but it was all extremely wearable. As the show notes stated:
“The iconography of the Maison – the ruffles, the lace, the grace, and then the flowers, the colours, the motifs – is interpreted in a wabi sabi key. Volumes are purified, ruffles are crushed, pleats are misaligned. Black and red are splashed onto prints, the V logo marks allover. Familiar signs are transposed and seen anew. Change is in the point of view: a quest for imperfect perfection. The code becomes inclusive, keeping the street as the horizon.”
For men, Piccioli created ‘new tailoring’ where it was less structured and soft so expect relaxed trousers and boxy jackets. For women, tulle gowns in Valentino red stood out as did the oversized knits and an ivory maxi jumper with a black moon motif.
But it’s the parka’s, dawn jackets with a V logo, blacker than black separates that perfectly showcased the balance of Japanese culture and Valentino’s codes.
