Giambatista Valli S/S 06 Paris

[adorefaith]

i guess i'm in the minority....
i think this is a strong collection....

some of the dresses are gorgeous...
the colors are safe but strong...
greys, black and white....

there are a few dresses in here that i can see working really well for the red carpet....they're pretty and a little bit unique and look as if they'd be very flattering....

my absolute favorite look is the grey long sleeved top with the pencil skirt on emina...
how DIVINE....


my favorites.....

 

[dhclam]

I think it's a better collection than the less one. Less pretentious, less 50s inspired, less gimmicky, and very very very mature (in a gd sense), structural and modern, much interesting than Martin Grant. However, some of the exaggerated tailoring was not really necessary though. There is room to improve and Giambattista is a better designer after leaving Ungaro, and I like his work better than Darre, IMO.

 

[Lena]

this is a clear improvement from Valli but imho he's absolutely no comparison to Martin Grand

 

[breathe0xygen]

beautiful dresses... the colors are nice.

 

[zamb]

on a scale of 1-10 i give it a six,
he has some good ideas and some pieces that are badly executed. the good news is that he does show that he has some talent that can be developed. i wil watch him a few more seasons before i put him in any category.

 

[LibertyRose]

In Paris these days, everyone can do 'pretty,' so it is to Valli's credit as a designer that he can do 'pretty' in his own way, as in a way that is not heavily borrowed from YSL, Lanvin, or Balenciaga. His brand of prettiness consists of beautiful silk, colors in monochrome, cuts that are sexy but not awkwardly revealing (no misplaced cutouts), and an air of confidence. His client is a self-assured woman who is socially active but does not pine to be the center of attention. Refreshing.

I was surprised to see him divorce himself from his Ungaro days to establish a new but recognizable identity so quickly. At Ungaro, with the exception of a hugely successful "Magolian princess" winter collection, his designs tended to be extravagently exotic, racing with Cavalli and Sabb in terms of ruffles and feathers. It didn't always work, so I am glad that he ditched all the flashy adornments to focus on good tailoring. It's amazing how little baggage he brought with him to his new post.

Valli certainly has a lot more to say when things are black-and-white. His two collections have been a testment to 'less is more.' His debut collection (which is worn by Angelina Jolie in that infamous W editorial with Brad Pitt, and later by Ashlee Simpson to MTV awards) was put together in a short time so I was uncertain if he'd pursue something completely different with SS06. I mean, Robinson's debut for Paco Rabanne was very much in the same vein, but he fell sideways this time around. Fortunately, Valli resisted the bandwagon of excess and continued with his belief in simplified luxury. The result is a string of the most enviable cocktail dresses of the season.

 

[Hanne]

Me Likey

 

[fouroclock]

I love the shoes and the accesories, but the clothes strike me as bland. Not enough variety and colour so far.