Valentino Haute Couture S/S 2010 Paris

[montrealm]

Touched by 'Avatar' By SUZY MENKES

Digital trees swaying as a backdrop to the Valentino show were not just from a mesmerizing installation by the American artist Jennifer Steinkamp. They also sent the intense message that the designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccoli called their “Virtual Eden.”

This arty ode to nature was a fresh departure by the design duo from their lacy black collection of last season and their respectful homage to the Valentino past of a year ago. And although the collection lacked the daytime clothes that once would have dressed the couturier’s loyal clients, there is a sense that something fresh is happening.

The front row, with its lineup of 20-something Euro aristocracy, was clearly the target. And Bianca Brandolini, dancing the night away at the after party in a short wafty Valentino dress, said of the show: “I loved it.”
Streaks of Avatar blue on face and shoulders, scarves binding the eyes or lapped as chiffon ribbons around the shoes, gave an other-worldly feeling to the clothes, which had the fragility of flower petals. The sheer organza leggings that went under brief dresses looked like trying too hard to be hip. But the clothes themselves, with swathes of drapes or inserts, using layered chiffon in different pastel colors, were delicately done.

“We had to find our own path — it’s such a big change but we are quite proud of this direction and this season is another step,” said Mr. Piccoli.

The best of the collection could be seen only close up: a blazer intricately made with opalescent feathers; coppery embellishment like scarabs; the green and sky blue colors shifting with the chiffon layers. Yet the way they were shown hinted at other designers — Balenciaga, Givenchy or Rodarte.

To be in the flow of fashion rather than among its leaders is not necessarily a bad thing. The Valentino designers caught the eco/nature vibe. The workmanship of the studios has been used for a younger, more ethereal style. Like breaking out of a chrysalis, the metamorphosis would seem to have begun.

 

[helmut.newton]

A preview

 

[Royal-Galliano]

Valentino must be melting in his tan.

 

[Kallu]

ugly

 

[Merveille]

Thanks for posting helmut!
I have to say, I am kinda converting.
The wrapped body suit is bad and a couple of pieces are kinda streamline but the feather jacket and a few other pieces are stunning in motion.
If I had the money I would buy that jacket no doubt.

Phillip Treacy also really shows he genius yet again.

 

[helmut.newton]

Okay, for those who aren't familiar with Valentino's archive, I have put this post together to show you that there are a lot of very Valentino elements in this collection. If you know Valentino's work, you will see this is a very Valentino collection, albeit not in the traditional way Valentino himself would do.

I only have one book which covers a very small portion of the Valentino archive, and if you go deeper you will find most of the techniques and designs used by Paulo and Maria here. Also you will be able to find ideas that came before Pucci/Herve Leger/Balenciaga by Ghesquiere etc etc.

This dress from Fall/Winter 1986, is an obvious example of the inspiration for this Haute Couture collection. They took Valentino's idea of the crossover composition in silk crepe and brought it into the 21st century.

scanned by me from Valentino: Themes and Variations + catwalking.com/

Secondly, they took inspiration from this Spring/Summer 1968 look; it is embroidered with pearls, strass, and flowerlets made of starched linen. Again, this is a very Valentino idea (embroidered flowers) but they have modernized it with a mixture of starched linen and some other fabric.

Another variation of the crossover compostion [Fall/Winter 1990]; as before they have made it more modern with the cut, and in the look below, they have added iridescent sequins (as in the original) and neon to make it new.

That is all I can source from my book, but if you have a look at Valentino's other books, you will find many more techniques and ideas that Maria and Pier have used here such as the budellini technique (which is used extensively here in the evening wear and pants) and also you will find old embroideries (such as the coral motif in Look No. 22) which they have taken from Valentino's archives.

 

[|PerfectTonight|]

It's amazing, love the evolution of Valentino. They're going the hip-young route!

 

[Nicolexox]

upon seeing the comparisons to the other Valentino collections, I do see the angle they're going for. (and to quote PerfectTonight) The Hip-young route does seem to be where they're taking it. I guess we'll have to see how the progress the Valentino name in further collections.

Rating on this collection : 5.2/10 (For me, at least)

 

[disco54]

more a bad copy of balenciaga and rodarte if anything . Totally alienating your loyal clientele to find a new risky fleeting pasture .

 

[eternitygoddess]

Okay, for those who aren't familiar with Valentino's archive, I have put this post together to show you that there are a lot of very Valentino elements in this collection. If you know Valentino's work, you will see this is a very Valentino collection, albeit not in the traditional way Valentino himself would do.

Their execution of those inspirations are terrible.

 

[lyyoxball]

Valentino HC ,right?
i can't believe they would make this worst collection to valentino..
where's mr.valentino ? i need him!!!!

 

[mikeijames]

THANK YOU!
I am also getting annoyed at everyone screaming THIS IS NOT VALENTINO yadda yadda yadda. Constantly season after season I would read people giving Valentino flack for creating boring frilly collections over and over again yet now here everyone comes screaming how the house is destroyed.

we've already had that conversation over at the pre-fall thread....

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f60/valentino-pre-fall-2010-a-94798.html

Okay, for those who aren't familiar with Valentino's archive, I have put this post together to show you that there are a lot of very Valentino elements in this collection. If you know Valentino's work, you will see this is a very Valentino collection, albeit not in the traditional way Valentino himself would do.

thank you for those reference points as they do add some sort of depth to these clothes, but in all honesty, one has to question the taste level of these two designers after seeing what they turned out with such beautiful start-points. if this stood as a challenge on "project runway", these two contestants would get voted off because they got the EASIEST stuff -- seriously, they could have just raised the hemlines on the first, tightened up the second with some contemporary tailoring, and cut the third into a fabulous evening coat over a blouse and cropped pants -- and they MESSED IT UP. i can see if this work took us to a new visionary place like ghesquiere has with balenciaga, or some utterly beautiful place like elbaz at lanvin, or just thrown the archives away and just gave us raw fast fashion like decarnin at balmain. it did none of these things. who would wear this stuff? the valentino of those pictures had a fleet of women who frothed at the mouth for that stuff. where is the audience for these clothes?! second life?

 

[honeycombchild]

I'm very surprised that Valentino turned out to be one of the ones I like the most from Couture Week. I usually don't care for Valentino at all... I find it dated and repetitive, but I really like this. I think some pieces are just beautiful.

 

[fashionified]

well, only one word came to mind.

Avatars?

 

[FABY]

this is the worst Valentino show i've ever seen in my life......

Totally agree



VALENTINO IS NOT VALENTINO ANYMORE

It`s like a mixture of Alexander Mcqueen + Versace + ....

It´s the opposite , and that´s not fair The should put another designer

It´s a shame

 

[JunyaSchick]

we've already had that conversation over at the pre-fall thread....

http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f60/valentino-pre-fall-2010-a-94798.html



thank you for those reference points as they do add some sort of depth to these clothes, but in all honesty, one has to question the taste level of these two designers after seeing what they turned out with such beautiful start-points. if this stood as a challenge on "project runway", these two contestants would get voted off because they got the EASIEST stuff -- seriously, they could have just raised the hemlines on the first, tightened up the second with some contemporary tailoring, and cut the third into a fabulous evening coat over a blouse and cropped pants -- and they MESSED IT UP. i can see if this work took us to a new visionary place like ghesquiere has with balenciaga, or some utterly beautiful place like elbaz at lanvin, or just thrown the archives away and just gave us raw fast fashion like decarnin at balmain. it did none of these things. who would wear this stuff? the valentino of those pictures had a fleet of women who frothed at the mouth for that stuff. where is the audience for these clothes?! second life?

so true!! besides, and as a remainder for everyone, THIS IS HAUTE COUTURE, and hc demands some extra work. HC doesn't have to be commercial or conventional, it requieres an extra creative effort... that I don't see... as well as some Valentino's classy references that match with the usual clients of Valentino HC (the ones who really care about the clothes cause they are the only ones who buy them....) In pret-à-porter you can have some unsual or punctual clients that buy by trends or changing habits but in HC clients fidelity is a very important factor.

these guys are good designers but they lack of a global vision of what Valentino is. On the other hand the collection is quite repetitive and too influenced by today's pret-á-porter fashions.... and I have always thought that HC, among other things, is an experimenting field to offer new concepts and ideas in order to see if they can be applied to pret-à-porter...

 

[Spiral1532]

Another variation of the crossover compostion [Fall/Winter 1990]; as before they have made it more modern with the cut, and in the look below, they have added iridescent sequins (as in the original) and neon to make it new.

Ooh, I hadn't seen pictures of that outfit in forever! I remember seeing it for the first time when I was about 15, and thinking that it was the most creative and innovative-looking outfit I had ever laid eyes on.
I can scarcely remember the model on the runway spinning around in that outfit, as the layers of multi-colored silk chiffon twirled in mid air.
Thanks for posting this pic, it brought back memories.

 

[BerlinRocks]

I hadn't found any review, yet ....
where are they, plz ?

 

[helmut.newton]

Valentino’s Eco Modernism

Godfrey Deeny
January 28th, 2010 @ 00:17 AM - Paris We got a large dollop of eco modernist fashion from Valentino Wednesday night, Jan. 27, in the house’s latest haute couture collection, presented before huge images of swaying digital trees projected onto the walls of the medieval convent hospital where the show was staged.

“Hidden Eden” was the name the design duo of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli gave to the collection, an evocative display of naturalistic fashion and quivering clothes.

In a show and collection that neatly juxtaposed technology and nature, the two defining materials were telling – soft chiffon and hard sharkskin, or to use its technical term, galuchat. These two were combined in one remarkable jacket, a curvy biker jacket that had lots of chutzpah and a cashmere trim. Think cashmere cruisin’ couture.

This Roman design duo could certainly not be faulted for failing to take risks. They even invented a new garment, a single sleeve jump suit with a hint of a tunic, which they christened the “jump dress.” Later they whipped up a super multicolored pastel feather jacket that had “cover shoot” written all over it.

Throughout the look was ethereal, the models wafting by between the twisting trees, the yellow, rose and flesh hues of the clothes mirrored by technical versions of the same colors on the screen.

“Elongated insects,” was how Piccioli termed the lean look and silhouette he and Chiuri wanted models to have on the catwalk.

The season’s final major show of the spring 2010 Paris Haute Couture season, the Valentino show was exquisitely staged, from the gnarled digital trees rotating slowly on the walls by Los Angeles installation artist Jennifer Steinkamp, to the aromatic soundtrack – everything from Debussy to Antony and the Johnsons.

In yet another visual catwalk reference to "Avatar" – the key inspiration of Jean Paul Gaultier’s show – there was a little Pandora panache at Valentino, where models appeared in "Avatar" blue shoulders and humanoid makeup. Moreover, the massive quantities of colorful ruched chiffon on display – one seamstress said they needed 8O meters for just one dress – suggested the tribal Pandora fantasies of the hit movie.

It's very interesting they used galuchat in this collection. One dress in particular (below) was woven with chiffon (?), I wonder how they did it? And how much it will be!!! An entire dress made of woven shark skin!

style.com/

 

[*ana*]

this is so balenciaga-meets-nina ricci-meets-rodarte gone wrong...
i struggled with myself to finally take a look at the whole collection. i really don't understand why they decided to kill a house like Valentino...