Valentino finally steps into the Light

I am going through a Valentino renaissance. I have always liked Valentino, (liked not loved I must say) especially the elegance and sophistication which resonates from all of their collections. From the sweeping, silk dresses, classic stud shoes, soft blouses and red carpet gowns, Valentino are what I would call a safe brand. You're not going to see one season when they send punks down the runway. The will do 'punk' but with a magical, fairy tale spin. With Maria Grazia Chiuri, who's now at Dior, and Pier Paulo Piccoili working together during the years they spent at the brand, there was a period of pure beauty and wonder. And  now with Chiuri at gone, Piccioli can shine alone, taking centre stage at this beautiful brand.

Valentino's couture collection last week gave Pier Paulo Piccioli the opportunity to showcase his skills. Long, lean lines made the models look like angels treading carefully down the runway, layers of chiffon swept with the wind while pistachio shades worked with white, lemon, ruby red and ivory. The way the dresses fell reminded me of ancient Roman statues which stare serenely out across palaces and forgotten ruins. There was a real sense of majesty to the show with less attention paid to embellishment and more focus on the folds of material. Simplicity is what Valentino do so well, and now that Piccioli is working alone, I hope that his style will become more apparent and classic, not that it's not already classic enough. His love of high necklines and fluid shapes make him a love of Hollywood stars for red carpet events, while his demure clothing suits many of his Arab clients who favour longer sleeves and hemlines.

I was also drawn to Valentino's Spring/Summer 2017 campaign after seeing it in Vogue. Refreshing, poised and eye catching, this campaign feels like a very modern Valentino. Liya Kebede, Chirsty Turlington, Fei Fei Sun and new face Ratner stare hauntingly out of the photos in stunning black and white imagery by David Sims. Turlington is particularly beautiful. Wearing minimal make up, she bares all her lines and wrinkles, instead of trying to cover them with the help of air brushing which is very refreshing for an ad campaign. "The eternity of a portrait, the immediacy of a documented moment, the poised simplicity of introspection," explained Piccioli of this spring campaign. "A campaign that plays with time: what endures and what is unrepeatable."

The opposite pages feature whimsical photographs taken behind the scenes at the Valentino spring/summer 2017 show by Sims. I love the silk red dress which looks like a cardinal's robe given a make over while the blurred photos add a sense of magic and charm. I'm usually drawn to strong images especially for ad campaigns, so surprised myself that these Valentino ads should stand out as much as they do. I really am interested to see what Piccioli does in the future at Valentino, now that his former design partner is receiving rave reviews at Dior. Nevertheless, the true Valentino Garavani would be proud of this collection.