Alessandra Facchinetti out at Valentino *Update* new Creative Director at Tod's

[HighMaintenance]

It's sad...

 

[nyc_art_style]

actually rip i think these accessory designer are to stay at valentino for a long time. simply because they can design accessories. those are what sell the most, valentino is going to become a house just like gucci. tacky clothes and acessories out the ying yang.

 

[angel222]

She was designing clothes for straight women who were so used to having a gay man tell them how to be beautiful. The old Valentino designs were always behind the beauty or creativity of YSL and Lagerfeld, other gay men. She should be getting out a loan, or talking to VCs about starting her own or upstart line, calling the shots is the only way to go as long as you hire good people.

 

[Dkammern]

^^i'm sorry but, what exactly are you talking about? gay men? straight women? what's that about?
she did beautiful clothes and did not sell shoes... that's it. they said that clear. she's (sadly) out...

on what other people have said... i wouldnt be so negative that these designers wont be able to produce beautiful clothing. after all they've said (and i believe it) they know the archives. they are probably some sort of unimaginative clutch-babes who've beeen digging in the archives for years, waiting for their grand oportunity.
i am convinced Valentino is to become the new CHANEL-before-KARL... not necessarily ugly but just oldfashioned, boring, irrelevant fashion company that makes money out of red dresses and perfumes and shoes maybe.
and all of a sudden some random big group will eventually buy the company (give it 4-5 years when the economic situation is more stable globaly) and put someone controversial at the helm... imagine someone terrible for the house like Gareth Pugh, or another enfant-terrible from london...
the whole thing being very dior/vuitton/chanel... etc

 

[angel222]

^ Uh,.... certain gay men have an exaggerated way of expressing sexuality and sensuality than a woman. Her clothes were gentle, and sexy but not ****** looking, it contained the horse sensibility and delicateness that I believe most women share. Women who are fashionable don't want to look like flashy caricatures of themselves.

 

[Meg]

^
I understand what Angel is getting at, the tension that can sometimes occur between a gay designer and his female muse or a gay designer and women's sexuality, but I don't agree that gay male designers make flashy caricatures or '****** looking' which is quite insulting to be honest and such an overgeneralization.

It looks like Fachinetti was blessed. Why didn't Valentino hand pick his successor when he left? They just want more of the same at the house, which is fine for them, because in 5 years time, half their clients will be gone and then they will be scrambling for younger clients. In the current economic climate, I think you really want to make sure you've got young customers with expendable cash, not UES ladies who may have just lost it all when their stocks devalued. Either way, they are completely mischaracterizing her designs to justify her dismissal. Sorry but Fachinetti was hardly 'revolutionary'. Wasn't her first collection criticized for being TOO Valentino?

 

[Bahiyya]

I don't really like all their company team talk. It makes it sound as if the designs are going to be made by committee rather than persons working together to achieve a singular vision. Old lady lunch ruffles or no, at least I knew a tacky Valentino ruffle when I saw one. Huh.

 

[lilach]

reason she is out? she did not sell anything !
i do not hate or dislike her but she would be better off on her own or at a different label valentino never was her "thing"

let us just hope the new design team is capable of respecting and working with clients - not against them

 

[sweetpop]

I thought Alessandra was doing quite a good job; the fashion industry is quite unforgiving, expecting standing ovations from the get-go. True, if one collection is not a success then profits go backwards and of course that is terrible, but it is like they are not interested in what she has to create even if she did put in a 'creative contribution' and they claim to appreciate her 'sophisticated talent'.

 

[Dkammern]

reason she is out? she did not sell anything !
i do not hate or dislike her but she would be better off on her own or at a different label valentino never was her "thing"

let us just hope the new design team is capable of respecting and working with clients - not against them

but Yves Saint Laurent has been on the red for some years (finally recovering i hear) and no one fired pilati for that...
maybe they should've just temporarily shut the couture house, and wait for alessandra's work in rtw to be appreciated better, no?
her couture was beautiful, but it was kind of expected she wouldnt sell... people/clients still wanted the real thing, and she wasnt ever approved by valentino himself.

 

[fashionista-ta]

With the economy tanking and the original designer leaving, exactly what results were they expecting??

I just saw that WWD is reporting that Rochas RTW is coming back. I think Alessandra would be perfect for that job ...

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^SERIOUSLY!!! Rochas coming back!!!

 

[Miss Dalloway]

WOW i had no idea

 

[giancinephile]

I seriously want Alessandra to stay!!!!

 

[lilach]

point is valentino couture is actually (or was) makeing profit and was not purely there to boost the labels image or to get media attention. YSL works because they axed the couture and they where very strong in the accessory field but all that never worked at valentino the customer base was totally different it was a base of clients buying the fashion and then the bags etc accordingly it never was a house where people flocked too for accessoires (like it is the case with most other labels)

i will never deny the ability or the talent of alessandra but she should have done the whole change towards a "new valentino" woman softer and less abrupt. but the breaking point in my opinion was how she treated the couture clients aka she would not allow major changes she would not give face time to long time clients and so on and so on .

maybe if the bosses would have couture let go she would still be there and over time she would have attracted more and younger customers but as i said valentino highly depends on its couture clients thus the fiasco resulting in her departure the house was always too weak to live off rtw and accessoires alone

also i would like to point out that the V gal can very much change and adopt to new directions looks etc but please make it gently ! even when galliano took over dior he started fresh but not exactly with the dracula french revolution theme and the late spectacles and see the dior client of old adjusted and he got new ones too ( galliano just used as an (not best example)example as he took over from a very classic house under ferré)

 

[Dkammern]

With the economy tanking and the original designer leaving, exactly what results were they expecting??

I just saw that WWD is reporting that Rochas RTW is coming back. I think Alessandra would be perfect for that job ...

i hope that's true! what a fantastic idea!!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Uh,.... certain gay men have an exaggerated way of expressing sexuality and sensuality than a woman. Her clothes were gentle, and sexy but not ****** looking, it contained the horse sensibility and delicateness that I believe most women share. Women who are fashionable don't want to look like flashy caricatures of themselves.

I agree that there was a certain vulgarity to Valentino that was absolutely missing from Alessandra's version. And I certainly don't blame her for that ... vulgarity is not something one can edge away from slowly

But look at Olivier Theyskens ... as you say, "certain gay men," definitely not all. But there is something very special about femininity as interpreted by another woman ... it's different, and it's a good thing. Really looking forward to seeing her working again, and I truly would love to see Rochas carried on by a woman. There was something a bit sterile about it at times ... Alessandra could fix that, no question in my mind.

 

[fashionista-ta]

point is valentino couture is actually (or was) makeing profit and was not purely there to boost the labels image or to get media attention. YSL works because they axed the couture and they where very strong in the accessory field but all that never worked at valentino the customer base was totally different it was a base of clients buying the fashion and then the bags etc accordingly it never was a house where people flocked too for accessoires (like it is the case with most other labels)

i will never deny the ability or the talent of alessandra but she should have done the whole change towards a "new valentino" woman softer and less abrupt. but the breaking point in my opinion was how she treated the couture clients aka she would not allow major changes she would not give face time to long time clients and so on and so on .

If this is true about the treatment of the couture clients, that doesn't seem to make much sense--certainly a career-limiting move. Couture should be a collaborative process ... I can certainly see saying no to some changes, but a good client should have good ideas. If there were requests that she considered vulgar, though, I can see her point. As for face time, look at Alber--he helps out in the store.

 

[Dkammern]

^alber helps out in the store?

that's so adorable

 

[Spike413]

point is valentino couture is actually (or was) makeing profit and was not purely there to boost the labels image or to get media attention. YSL works because they axed the couture and they where very strong in the accessory field but all that never worked at valentino the customer base was totally different it was a base of clients buying the fashion and then the bags etc accordingly it never was a house where people flocked too for accessoires (like it is the case with most other labels)

i will never deny the ability or the talent of alessandra but she should have done the whole change towards a "new valentino" woman softer and less abrupt. but the breaking point in my opinion was how she treated the couture clients aka she would not allow major changes she would not give face time to long time clients and so on and so on .

maybe if the bosses would have couture let go she would still be there and over time she would have attracted more and younger customers but as i said valentino highly depends on its couture clients thus the fiasco resulting in her departure the house was always too weak to live off rtw and accessoires alone

also i would like to point out that the V gal can very much change and adopt to new directions looks etc but please make it gently ! even when galliano took over dior he started fresh but not exactly with the dracula french revolution theme and the late spectacles and see the dior client of old adjusted and he got new ones too ( galliano just used as an (not best example)example as he took over from a very classic house under ferré)

I find this hard to believe as, since 06/07, Chanel was the only couture house that claimed to make any profit. Selling a fair amount of couture and making a profit on it are two different things.

I keep failing to see this jarring change that diehard Valentino fans talk about. It's not like she came into the house and, like Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy for example, completely changed it to the point where it was unrecognizable. She only lightened and softened things up, she didn't completely alter or break with the DNA of the house. Being bright, beaded and bosom-baring isn't the only part of the Val DNA. That's just the way it looks, but it's not the spirit.