Cover Photo: Valentino

Tatler correspondent Rosana Lai shares all the glitzy details from Valentino’s spring/summer 2023 haute couture collection, Le Club Couture

As the fashion industry grapples with post-pandemic dressing in an increasingly uncertain economy, many are asking: “What is the place of haute couture today?”

With his latest haute couture offering, Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli suggests that the appetite lies somewhere between the desire for painstaking craftsmanship and to have a good time.

Set under Paris’ iconic Pont Alexandre III with the Eiffel Tower shimmering in the distance, the show aptly took place inside Bridge Club, an event and club space framed by stately arches. Models wove between them in a crescendo of glamorous silhouettes doused in Valentino’s punchy hues. Outsized bows adorned oversized tuxedo jackets, layers of tinsel sprung from a mini, bejewelled frock—each of the 89 looks dripped in sequins, sparkles, feathers, or all of the above. Even the most traditional ball gown boasted a plunging, hip-baring cut-out. A crowd favourite were the fluorescent coats that at first glance look like reflective shearling but are actually comprised of metallic tassels each attached by hand.

Read more: Designers take haute couture to the next level at Paris Couture Fashion Week

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A look at Piccioli’s mood boards backstage reveal ‘80s club get-ups, nostalgic posters and theatrical performances to explain the unabashed use of cascading ruffles and giant polka dots. His references recall a more hedonistic era, one which encouraged a more flamboyant way of dressing up, and is perhaps his appeal to fashion in these strange times. It’s certainly an attitude a new wave of Gen Z fans could get behind. “It’s a proposition of universal enjoyment… Couture becomes an emblem of uniqueness, personality, identity and character, and an evocation of the purest human joy of dressing and dressing up,” Piccioli shares in the show notes.

One can’t help but want to get up and dance after watching the models flounce by in a cloud of ruffles, but thankfully Valentino stayed true to theme and hosted an afterparty at Maxim’s where celebrity guests like Anne Hathaway and Sam Smith danced the night away while Piccioli himself hit the decks.

Below, discover the standout looks from the fashion show.

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