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.
Gardens were everywhere at couture in January 2013, but Valentino’s was the one people remembered. Chiuri and Piccioli looked at old Italian gardens, with their labyrinths, wrought-iron gates and birdcages, the place where, as Chiuri put it, nature and architecture live side by side.
That idea went straight into the clothes. Padded rouleaux were scrolled across tulle to look like iron gates, and the opening gown alone used 220 metres of silk wound around wool. A cape shaped like a birdcage sat over a dress embroidered with birds, 500 hours of handwork, and an organza jacket and skirt took 850. The palette moved from ivory tailoring to pale lilac and blush pink scattered with appliquéd blossom, ending in crinolines and Watteau-backed ball dresses covered in chiffon dahlias.
Two looks show where the pair were heading. Julia Nobis wore an ivory cape dress traced with that hand-rolled piping, the purest thing in the show. A black guipure dress and cape based on a nineteenth-century Venetian lace was something new for them, openly sensual. Flashes of Valentino red broke up the soft colours.
Critics loved it. AP called it one of the most sumptuous displays of the season, and Cathy Horyn in The New York Times felt the designers’ instinct for Italian stone and iron could be the key to their future. The only complaint was that there was almost too much perfection to take in.
Ravishing, and a reminder of what couture really costs to make.
More Valentino: see every Valentino couture collection we have reviewed and Valentino Garavani: The Complete Guide.
Previous collection: Valentino Fall 2012 Couture · Next collection: Valentino Fall 2013 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.
Leave a Reply