We are thrilled to see the Valentino resort 2016 collection. More than thrilled actually because the Valentino fashion house has a tendency to make us feel like a woman; a stylish woman at that. So when it was revealed that creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were inspired by Diana Vreeland’s motto of “The eye has to travel,” it became clear that we were in for a delicious line-up of awesome pieces that make up this rather interesting collection. What is a cruise without the eclectic, a resort vacation without the charming, and a collection without embracing the beauty of multiculturalism?
“We are interested in the idea of harmony that combines different worlds, creating an aesthetic that is really contemporary because it’s the fruit of free associations,” said Chiuri, and we are wont to agree. This particularly calls into our minds the beauty of a music festival that truly captures human diversity. It appears Chiuri herself had Glastonbury, the Governors Ball and Coachella in mind with her statement. Add over the top embellishment rich style of fashion icon turned art collection Millicent Rogers to the mix and you have the Valentino Resort pinned down to the tee.
The blending of the inspirations brought to light some rather lovely garments with simple silhouettes and enthusiastic decorations along with the most opulent of textures. We see garden motifs for the most part, but the geometric designs also have their place here and now, while Navajo inspired embroideries find themselves sprucing up and giving character to a tulle gown, finished off with a beaded fringe. A suede bralet with matching shorts was an eye catcher indeed as we considered the beauty of such a festival style look, bringing out one’s more youthful character, particularly through the flower decorations and a little micro studs. Delicate and feminine is what we see with the floral patterning placed on the crepe de chine shirt thrown over pajama style pants, all of which is engulfed in a splendidly luxurious intarsia mink fur coat. Plunging necklines, little frill sleeves, hems at all lengths, and comfortable shoes with sneaker lacing give the collection a modern twist. It makes sense to bring in features from the fall and winter collections anyhow, while means fringe is in, along with cape like blouses, sheer skirts that show off the legs underneath their pretty lace and a whole lot of floral, a trend that seems to be here to stay for a while.
Eclectic and hyper-decorative are probably two words that best describe the characteristics of the Valentino resort 2016 collection. Between layer upon layer of tulle and chiffon maxi dresses, an abundance of embroidery and much in terms of detailing for the best culturally sufficient effect, this is one collection worth looking into when considering some new pieces for your closet. There even seem to be a few pieces that have designs reminiscent of Caucasian carpets. After all, what is a winter wardrobe without pieces meant to be worn on vacation?