I appreciated that in the Vogue review of this show, the first paragraph is a lot of mumbo-jumbo about its genesis and “re-signification” of “codes,” and then the second opens with, “What does that mean, exactly?” Thank you. What DOES that mean. There isn’t a ton of clarity in the rest, but basically, the designer Pierpaolo Piccioli says he wants to bring a more human and less overtly glamorous quality to it, by way of using models who aren’t models per se but are often friends or random regular women: “The whole cultural discourse about inclusivity, accepting and enhancing diversities, and the freedom of expressing oneself—it’s just about putting humanity front and center as a non-negotiable social, political, and personal value.”
Okay! It sounds great. But I can’t help but think to myself that all the talk of relatability, accessibility, and equity, are pretty words that don’t mean much when the price tags are all astronomically higher than most humans can afford. Even a stripped-down and more “personal” Valentino is, after all, still a Valentino.
