Alessandro Michele’s show for Valentino at Paris Fashion Week transformed a mundane setting into a provocative stage. Guests entered through what resembled a public restroom, drenched in crimson light and buzzing with the energy of a nightclub. As Lana del Rey’s “Gods & Monsters” filled the air, models stepped out of stalls or gathered near the sinks, turning a private moment into a spectacle.
“I’m also trying to reflect the idea that Instagram is putting this conversation outside, because what’s intimacy?” Michele said during a preview. “Now Madonna is in the toilet,” he joked, nodding to the singer’s penchant for sharing personal glimpses on social media. It was an apt reference for a show he called Le Méta-Théâtre des Intimités, or The Meta-Theater of Intimacies. In his notes, he wrote, “No intimacy can ultimately undress us, no veil can be torn to put us before our true self. Because the idea that there’s an authentic self, untouched by life and its determinations, is misleading.”
The collection played with exposure and concealment, offering lace bodysuits that revealed just enough and suiting that felt pulled from decades past. Loose denim paired with a polished blazer or a structured bustier top suggested a fresh balance between elegance and ease. The all-black segments of the show, including a velvet column dress that dipped low in front and back, provided a sleek counterpoint to Michele’s more embellished pieces.
Full skirts glinted in metallic fabric, while a chartreuse-and-lilac gown trailed old-world lace. This theatrical opulence connected with Valentino’s heritage of jet-set glamour, a lifestyle its founder, Valentino Garavani, once embodied on the international stage.
Michele’s arrival at the house has signaled a new chapter, but one that stays true to Valentino’s core identity. By inviting onlookers into this seemingly intimate arena, Michele reminded everyone that the lines between what’s public and what’s personal are more blurred than ever.
