Valentino’s set for this show was Club Bathroom, with models popping out of the stalls and/or standing by the sinks, which is funny. As for the clothes… I definitely congratulate Alessandro Michele for having a strong brand identity, which he’s ported to Valentino from Gucci — with some adjustments, sure, but to me he’s using that same basic maximalism with a disco flair. It’s surely what they hired him for; how could it not be, when it’s so clear that it’s what they’d be getting? For me it’s a miss more often than it’s a hit, though (I could not despise the opening outfit more, for example). There is obviously some runway between couture and ready-to-wear lines, so I would expect more attitude in this show, but still. It can be great to shake up a brand, but at times this feels like dropping a Mentos into a Diet Coke.
