Giambattista Valli did not reveal the name of his florist when asked who provided the stunning arrangement of roses that dominated his backstage interview suite, and those attached to models' ponytails at his dazzling couture show. of spring.
“She's a Japanese lady who has a boutique next to the Place des Vosges and she always has the most wonderful flowers,” he enthuses, praising her taste for colors and unusual shapes.
But before you rush off in search of your source material, enjoy Valli's interpretation of fashion: a collection rich in color, fantasy, floral embellishments and a series of new volumes, the grandest this time done in speckled silks, in instead of its characteristic tulle. .
He opened his show quietly (more or less) in a black velvet suit representing a Stockman, one of the pillars of haute couture. A few dozen rosettes of fabric bloomed from the bodice. A corset, a common basis for the flou, was covered with tulle that came out the back forming a large, prominent bouffant.
Roses were a recurring theme in couture last season, but Valli may never tire of her garden inspirations, noting that “nature is infinite” during a backstage preview. “Spring always comes and there's always something blooming,” she said.
A black and white story, which was inspired by prototypes of muslin, or toiles, the raw material for experimentation, was sandwiched between the colorful and printed dresses. These were also the beneficiaries of Valli's research into new shapes, including a black velvet bodice with voluminous inset sleeves that gave way to a simple, flattering drape of white satin.
He called it the “art of giving volumes through cuts, through the art of draping and really pushing the limits in the workshop.”
Occasionally, sleeves ballooned to the size of pillows in a five-star hotel, and fishtail dresses ended in gigantic folds of layered fabric.
Valli holds the torch for greatness in haute couture, and his efforts resulted in a multitude of new silhouettes and that dreamlike feeling that has disappeared from fashion in the wake of the quiet luxury giant.
“Some shows look a little ready-to-wear with embellishments,” he said, without naming names. “I like the idea that couture is really couture.”
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