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For Fall 2011 the designers pinned up photographs of the last Russian imperial family and their vanished world, and the whole collection carries the air of a lost court. Piccioli called it a sense of memory, and Chiuri was quick to add that it was not about nostalgia.
The gowns were long, high-necked and long-sleeved, almost medieval in their modesty. A black velvet dress looked strict enough for a convent, until a later version opened up into fine Gothic latticework. Buttons ran up sleeves and down the backs of coats, floor-sweeping capes and tapestry-like fabrics added weight, and even a tweed suit was touched with gold and platinum. Simple cuts hid hundreds of hours of embroidery and weaving.
The fairy-tale pieces are the ones people remember: a sheer dress of burnt-out flowers with pleated tulle wings at the shoulders, a cocktail dress spun from a net of crystals, and Guido Palau’s gold and crystal diadems. The quiet favourite is a pale green panne velvet gown, braided at the neck and waist and open at the back.
Critics were split on how Valentino it all was. AFP saw Cinderella dresses and The Telegraph came away impressed, while one reviewer thought it looked more like Givenchy, heavy, austere and a little repetitive, even if it was a big step up for the duo. Others ranked it alongside Givenchy as the best of the season.
It is a serious, covered-up kind of romance, and it set the tone for the house for the next few years. Grown-up and quietly beautiful.
More Valentino: see every Valentino couture collection we have reviewed, and for another Russian chapter at the house, Valentino Fall 2006 Couture.
Previous collection: Valentino Spring 2011 Couture · Next collection: Valentino Spring 2012 Couture
Pictures courtesy of Vogue Runway
We do not own the rights to any of these images and they have been used in good faith. Every effort has been made to ensure that all images are used with proper credits. If you are the rightful owner of any image used on our site and wish to have it removed, please contact us at ayerhsmagazine@gmail.com and we will promptly remove it. We are a non-commercial, passion-driven, independent fashion blog and do not intend to infringe any copyright. Thank you for your understanding.
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