It is said that “there is no date that is not reached, nor deadline that is not met”, but the debut of Alessandro Michele in charge of the creative direction of Valentino It took us all by surprise. Moments before dawn this Monday, Mexico City time, the Resort 2025 collection, titled Avant les Débuts which means “before the debut”–, from the Roman house founded by the designer Valentino Garavani. As a consequence, the reaction of the fashion-oriented public on social networks was immediate.
Let us remember that at the end of November 2022, the Kering conglomerate announced through a statement that Alessandro Michele would leave Gucci after seven years of leading the firm. This seven-year period served to imprint his bourgeois style on each of his collections. So recognizable, that it is difficult, or rather impossible, not to associate his creative vision with his work at Gucci. That was the most evident and repetitive impression of his first collection for Valentino. Although it is necessary to take a careful approach to understand where his inspiration comes from. Here we explain it:
5 keys to understanding Alessandro Michele’s first collection at Valentino
1) It was an unexpected debut that happened just over two months after his announcement as creative director
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Following the departure of Pierpaolo Piccioli from Valentino, The appointment of Alessandro Michele happened at the end of March of this same year, the date on which it was announced that its first collection would be for the Spring-Summer 2025 season, within the September catwalk calendar. However, although the initial idea was that the designer would place his first pieces in stores without prior notice, he changed his mind along the way. “I started working at Valentino as if we were an orchestra; “Everyone played their instrument with so much love and dedication that I thought it would be right to be grateful to the people who have worked so tirelessly to make this happen,” he told Vogue Runway. The collection was unveiled moments before Gucci’s presentation in Milan.
2) Presented 264 images divided into 171 looks ready-to-wear more 93 accessories details pictures
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
There was no physical presentation, the entire collection was revealed through 264 images of the models, wearing the pieces in the same set, in front of a green curtain that served as a backdrop as a way to contrast with the extravagance of the 171 looks ready-to-wear plus the photographs that zoom in on the details.
3) He paid tribute to the collection Sfilata Bianca from 1968 signed by Valentino
Valentino, 1968.
WWD/Getty Images.
Valentino, 1968.
WWD/Getty Images.
Its starting point was signature files. “Valentino was never a minimalist, but rather a maximalist, even in the 70s, when he was more stylized,” said the designer, who in turn highlighted “the Roman sense of opulence” of the brand at that time. Alessandro Michele confessed that he was not inspired by any specific era, although he was captivated by the collection Sfilata Bianca of 1968.
4) Pearls, lace, turban hats and knitted socks formed the common thread of the outfits
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Although it is an extensive collection, with multiple layers and textures, the common thread that unites each of the styles is interwoven in the pearl necklaces, turban hats, stockings, lace stockings, the dresses with rhinestone and sequin applications and especially their discourse on gender. “What you see is me knowing him, and it is my hands and my eyes that now inhabit the workshop.”
5) Polarized opinions of the fashion fanatic audience
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
It is logical that the Alessandro Michele’s first collection for Valentino has generated divided opinions. After all, the designer knew how to make his name also his own brand and this cannot be easily separated from the person who has lived and grown with his own ideals and references. His debut also highlights the roots of those of us who create ties with the identity of the big fashion houses. Resistance to change is nothing new on both sides, both the creator and the observer.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
Ola Rindal / Vogue Runway.
