Valentino HC S/S 08 Paris

[Mr-Dale]

This seems to be an hommage to the woman that made him a star and thus to himself and the era she lived in: Jackie O...

The Oscars better be not interrupted by a picketline...those dresses need to be worn on that red carpet

[capt.charly]

Beautiful pics omg !!nice collection !!
thanks for the pics !

[mistress_f]

oh god this is so wonderful. i love almost every single piece of it. a couple of those dresses nearly made me cry.
amazing, simply amazing.
it was no surprise but finally a GREAT show. i wasnt really impressed with the other hc shows this time, but this makes up pretty much for them all.

[Miss Dalloway]

Breath taking,thanks a million for all the pictures Faith.

[Spiral1532]

The collection itself is breathtaking.
The epitome of elegance.
And those gowns...
I especially like: the pink gown on Hana, the white gown on Sasha, the white gown on Anna, and the silver tiered gown on Kim.

My Valentino...

[Faith Akiyama]

Ok, to make up for the lack of finale pictures...HQs!

Getty

[KKnardi]

I'm sorry for interrupting the nostalgia and the "old fashion history ending" here, but there is not many things to pick out for a young man like me. this is just old for me.
Arrivederci amore, ciao!

[Faith Akiyama]

And a final farewell...



Getty

[espritDEcouture]

I wish....

[capt.charly]

Thanks for the HQ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miss Dalloway]

HAUTE COUTURE

Valentino says goodbye with flowers

By Suzy Menkes
Published:January 23, 2008.

Paris:With vestal white dresses on the runway and a phalanx of his iconic red dresses projected on the sides of a giant tent, Valentino bowed out of fashion on Wednesday with an ovation of bravos but few tears, as the designer himself set the happy tone by waving to the audience as he took his bow.
But like a chorus in a Greek tragedy, Valentino's friends and clients, who gathered at the Rodin Museum for the couturier's last and final curtain, started their comments with a single phrase: "It's the end of an era," they all said.
"I was 17 years old when I met Valentino in Rome — and, of course, I feel sad," said Marisa Berenson, while the model Eva Herzigova, resplendent in a jewel-embroidered Valentino jacket, remembered the very first dress, in Valentino red, in which she walked the runway.
"It's a special time," said Marie-Chantal of Greece, one of many clients who expressed mixed emotions. Farah Diba, the former empress of Iran, said she was happy Valentino was retiring "at the summit of his glory and his talent." Susan Gutfreund said that she felt "excited and nostalgic."
Comparing this departure from the couture stage with that of Yves Saint Laurent in 2000, Betty Catroux, the YSL muse, said: "It's different. Yves didn't want to retire. But I think Valentino is happy."

Before the show, the designer himself stated his mission: gorgeous and gracious dresses, culminating in the white gowns that referred back to the famous white show in Florence of 1968 that made his reputation.
"All I ever wanted was beauty — to make women beautiful," Valentino, 75, said.
And he said it with flowers: big fat summer roses worn with a garden party of a hat; elegant irises traced on the back of a sheath; clusters of hand- painted wisteria; embroidered flowers that peeped out from pleats; graphic black and white flowers; and the sweet- pea pastels that opened the show.
As the first model walked the shiny herringbone runway, her pink tunic over an embroidered skirt was quintessentially Valentino in its feminine elegance. So were the tailored coats in summer shades of blue, peach and pistachio. Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino's partner for 45 years, sitting between the actresses Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu, sized up the calm daywear, the perfectly groomed models, with elbow-length gloves, crocodile clutch in hand and hair swept into a smooth chignon — even if the flipped- up eyeliner could have been described as Amy Winehouse on a very good day.
Designers front row included Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, Miuccia Prada and Allessandra Facchinetti, who is taking over from Valentino next season.
Looking at the incredibly fine workmanship of Valentino's Rome studio, it was hard to believe that any other designer could still produce such craftsmanship and elegance in the 21st century — especially the evening dresses that appeared so simple but were, in fact, made with the skill of half a century of training.
Perhaps Valentino's greatest attribute is to appear timeless, offering the harmony and grace so rare in the cacophony of modern fashion and making this final collection a loving ode to women.
Philip Treacy, whose garden party hats were on the beautifully coiffed heads, summed up the emotional event.
"It's sad," he said. "Valentino is the king of chic. His fascination is always with elegance and beauty."

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/...123-rvalen.php

[j´adore dior]

Gorgeous, magnificent, inspiring, I hope Alessandra will look at some of this silhouettes for the coming show, there are some coats that could easily become rtw hits, it was perfect and vibrant, loved it!

[softgrey]

i found most of this to be quite boring/safe and uninspired...

even the red dress finale...
ALL THE SAME DRESS?!?!?....


really???....really?...
not 75 different red gowns...???...

come on!...
it's the big FAREWELL...

and some of those flower dresses and hats are just ...
what the hell is that lavendar tulle thing...?!?
...

ugh!...


* there were some good red carpet gowns though...
but- essentially red carpet means 'safe' these days...so...you know..
not what i would have hoped for from him for his swan song...

[xPedro]

softgrey, I must say, I totally agree w/ everything you said !

[Spike413]

Well, it's very Valentino. Always polished, always poised, always tasteful. I wouldn't have expected anything less from him with this collection. Still I would've liked a surprise in all of the glamour, and I don't really like a lot of the floral pieces.

For me the best pieces are the simplest pieces, the troupe of pastel coats with bracelet cuffs and a-line hems, those two black and white pieces with those twisted pleats showing the opposite color, the white column on Natalia that closed the show.

I guess we know who'll be dressing the Oscars this year.