Valentino Fall 2022

There are strategies, and then there are STRATEGIES. Pierpaolo Picciolo knows this and came to Paris fashion week with an agenda – one to stun the crowd and perpetuate the monochromatic maze 2022 is establishing. All block colours, this season for Valentino is pink and black only, vivid fuchsia backdrops and all. Providing a method to this (much loved) madness, Picciolo explains the thought process: total and complete concentration on the clothing. No distraction here, therefor the eye goes to the detail, whether that be an embellished hem or low-cut silhouette.

The most significant part of this colour choice, however, is the cultural reshaping behind it. In a world in which – within the mainstream – pink means femininity, Picciolo aims to subvert this mentality, as pink here means only Valentino Fall ’22.

The entire collection consists of 81 looks (half pink, half black), showcasing everything from bubble dresses to floor-length opera coats. Re-establishing the monochromatic tight – thank you, sir – each look moulds to the model’s body with an effortless stiffness replicating the perfection of a fashion-week doll. Clean-cut and elegant, lace swirls over many of these pieces alongside tule – bringing back a long-forgotten trend, soon to see its comeback. This was a show of perfection, the antithesis of the raw elaborate designs we saw (and loved) in London, and provided a looking glass into the mantra of 90’s fashion weeks, now devoid of regression and heaving with excitement.