Red Valentino (Q8995)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Red Valentino is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Red Valentino |
Red Valentino is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
“I believe that when you get rid of preconceptions, you can really reach a deeper emotional level,” said Pierpaolo Piccioli via email. “This is what we’re trying to do at Red Valentino, which is now grounded on a new sense of freedom and sassiness, reflecting the spirit of today’s new generations.”Piccioli’s manifesto sounded on point, since what young audiences seem to respond to certainly isn’t bourgeois bon ton, but rather radical romanticism and an individual affirmation of stylish rebellion. Piccioli offered plenty of both in his toughened-up version of Valentino’s little sister, who’s definitely undergoing an edgier growing-up process. He bet on customization to convey the free-spirited uniqueness which seems to be the password to access Gen Z’s mindset and the fashion preferences of social-media-driven audiences.Each piece was hybridized through assemblages and juxtapositions; R.V.’s hallmarks (a seductive arsenal of feminine ruffles, frills, and tulle) were energized with street-inflected cool. A black cropped hoodie became the upper part of a proper beige trench coat turned minidress; a tough black leather biker jacket had sleeves layered with flimsy point d’esprit; an oversized knitted sweater was patchworked with tulle and nylon intarsia. Mini and maxi ruffles circled around an asymmetrical drawstring dress in eye-popping turquoise techno taffeta; a pristine ruched white shirt worn with tiny black lace shorts and lingerie-inspired see-through crochet sets were given a sexier, provocative edge.As in previous seasons, Piccioli entrusted a young Italian photographer to lens the look book. Shot by Teresa Ciocia in a bare, unadorned space, the images had a raw energy, unpolished and real, pointing in a new, zeitgeist-y direction for this Valentino’s little sister. Should she still be called little? She doesn’t seem to be so unaware of the world.
10 March 2021
Sometimes when a little sister is growing up, you don’t pay much attention to her. Then one day you realize that she has grown into a rebellious, daring beauty, ready to shed layers of demure bon-ton in favor of more free-spirited self-expression. Metaphorically speaking, this is what is happening to the Red Valentino line: After living quietly in the shadow of its big sister line, it’s coming of age—in its own way.Pierpaolo Piccioli has been injecting more energy and a daring sense of style into RV collections for quite some time, trying to amp up the label’s appeal to better resonate with the times. But the direction he’s taking feels more assertive now, as the press notes stated: “The age of innocence is over. A new self-awareness takes center stage.”This isn’t to say that the Red Valentino customer isn’t a romantic, nor that she has ditched the femininity that’s intrinsic to the label. For pre-fall, she just jazzed it up with bolder twists and a fearless clash of contrasts. Ethereal point d’ésprit mixed with crisp techno faille; billowy ruffles sprouted from oversized sweats and hoodies; and blown-up utility anoraks and voluminous padded piumino capes were trimmed with delicate tulle volants. Bows and ribbons peeked out from repurposed denim pieces, while trench coats featured raw-hem trimmings and ample, gathered crinoline backs. See-through pieces abounded, signaling a more sensual and instinctual direction, which was highlighted by the lookbook images, lensed by the Italian photographer Margherita Tamraz.“I wanted to convey a less innocent and delicate attitude, more self-conscious and confident,” Piccioli explained via email. “Instead of working on a sort of storytelling, we put more focus on the creation of bold, unique pieces, highly designed and with a sense of customization, to convey uniqueness and a distinctive personality.” Piccioli is certainly right. As Coco Chanel famously said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”
11 January 2021
There’s no doubt that reality has bitten us quite hard; the pandemic has us questioning what’s familiar, what’s meaningful, what’s altogether useless. Horizons have apparently narrowed; the scope has somehow become more short-term and realistic, and designers have been quick to sharpen their creative focus, adapting to new mindsets. Acknowledging the changed circumstances, Pierpaolo Piccioli updated his approach at Red Valentino. “This season it was time to bring it to the street, exploring a new sense of authenticity and independence,” he said via email. The look book was lensed in the busy neighborhood surrounding Rome’s Stazione Termini (the city’s railway station) by Italian street photographer Niccoló Berretta. It can’t get more authentic than this.Piccioli blended his flair for dreamy high-style with a younger, free-spirited, and energetic spin. He played with ample, blown-up volumes and with asymmetries, juxtaposing romantic point-d’ésprit with crisp techno faille and indulging in a couture-inspired abundance of ruffles and bows. He seemed to delight in the process. An oversized black cotton sweatshirt was given huge “wings” of ruched nylon; a boxy T-shirt morphed into a pretty mini party dress via the intervention of a tulle flounce. On the same note, a crisp pale pink shirt revealed a spliced back, trimmed with curly ruches. Paired with matching hot-pants, it will appeal to young Red Valentino lovers eager to introduce some romance into their real-life, street-ready wardrobe.
19 October 2020
In Valentino’s Milan headquarters (sleek white walls, black leather sofas, shiny marble floors), a close-up portrait of a young Brooke Shields keeps you company. The photo was taken in the ’80s when she was at the apogee of her beauty, her feline eyes framed by the ruffled collar of a Valentino couture dress.Shields modeled for Valentino at the time, bringing a spirit of youthful glamour to the maison’s polished, ultra-chic allure. No wonder that Pierpaolo Piccioli, in his clever reading of the house’s archival codes, chose her as the inspiration behind Red Valentino’s fall collection. He infused it with a bold ’80s vibe, adding a slightly grungy yet extravagant feel to this little sister line’s hyper-feminine young prettiness. “With this collection I wanted to telegraph a message of freedom, spontaneity, and unconventionality,” he said via email. “I believe these are the elements defining the identity of the young generations, who treat the past with irreverence, filtering it through their own vision and adapting it to their world without following any rules.”For all the irreverence though, the collection did follow the rule of loveliness, which is its most appealing trait. Jumbo bows, frills, polka dots, and fluffy point d’ésprit ruffles were all there. Yet this display of whipped-up romantic femininity was given a tougher twist via contrasting interventions of black leather, tartans, and vivid color-blocking. The urban vibe was treated imaginatively, while retaining the Red Valentino flair for the sartorial—a quality obviously shared with the maison’s main line.Tailored coats and capes in colorful mohair or classic herringbone tweed will appeal even to more grown-up customers. The Brooke Shields wannabes will like oversized cardis with floral intarsia layered nonchalantly over frilly frocks, and the jacquard knits tucked into denim micro-shorts. They’d also look cool in a black tuxedo embroidered with bouquets of roses. Glamour, a bit of rebellious grit, and an independent spirit. Today’s RV girls seem to embrace what was apparently a Brooke Shields motto: “Don’t waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window—or break down a door.”
6 February 2020
In July Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a couture collection for Valentino that tied together cultures and time periods with a spirited, alchemical magic. Models wore folk-inspired headpieces, and intarsia capes were adorned with cranes and tropical flowers. It was, in the glinting sun of Paris’s high summer, nothing short of resplendent. Many would say that level of fashion transcendence is reserved for the couture salons, but Piccioli’s greatest contribution to the evolution of Valentino is breaking down boundaries and tossing away rules. Case in point: The Red Valentino Spring 2020 collection, which picks up the threads of his couture outing’s eclecticism and adventure and proposes it for a lower price and wider audience.Patchwork-denim-butterfly dresses, sangallo lace tops, and multicolored avian embroideries looked like toned-down versions of couture propositions while retaining the free-spirited sensibility that those alta moda creations stand for. Ditto for plissé black tulle dresses with oversized bows at the waist and a monochrome suit in sunset pink. Accessories continued the folksy theme with everything from macramé and raffia bags to a new glitter sneaker. Asked about this collection, Piccioli issued a philosophical mandate over a fashion one: “Act as you please. Create your own wardrobe language. Don’t forget to daydream and play with contrasts. Be instinctive and spontaneous and, most of all, feel joyful with what you wear.”
4 September 2019
With everyone is still zigging along doing streetwear, Red Valentino has wisely opted to zag. For Resort 2020, Pierpaolo Piccioli and his design team are going back to the core of Valentino’s sub-brand: prettiness and femininity. “Romanticism is not only an attitude, it’s a real wardrobe where girls can put their dreams into reality. The freedom to be oneself, with their own point of view,” said Piccioli of Red’s return to form. Photographed in the pale pink of Valentino’s India Mahdavi–designed flagship store in Rome, the collection is a macaron-color fantasy made up of point d’esprit frocks dotted with tiny clusters of glitter. Against the harshness of the real world, these delectable little things take on an almost urgent appeal, especially when you consider the layering possibilities of, say, a sheer lilac coat or an aquamarine dress with a Victorian collar.The Red Valentino reverie does meet reality in a more pragmatic sense here and there. Plissé typically used on RV skirts has moved onto tops and jackets, with the backs of denim shirts and a leather Perfecto tented out in ripples of pleats. Practical shirting and khaki trenches flesh out a middle section of the collection, while a smattering of black daywear pieces and evening dresses close the lookbook. It’s here, in rigid ’80s ruffles and almost metal graphics, that you’ll find small touches of subversion, like cropped bomber jackets and naughty lace dresses. In these photos Red Valentino is a pretty proposition, but worn in the real world, the pieces can have bite.
10 June 2019
Ballet has always been at the heart of Red Valentino. Since its inception, the brand has operated in a blush and black palette and has made its slipper sneakers a commercial hit. Now, Pierpaolo Piccioli and company are taking their commitment to dance more seriously, casting students at Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Danza in the Fall 2019 lookbook. It’s the second season that Red Valentino has traded models for muses, and it won’t be the last—the label is committed to creating a real community of creatives.“Shooting at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza was an amazing experience. Students are real; they are poised dancers and choreographers who put a lot of energy and effort in their study,” says Piccioli. “Dancing is like dreaming; it’s physical poetry and pure aesthetic. Capturing them with their authenticity and reinterpreting the Red Valentino code just by being themselves was like melting imagination with reality: true and genuine.”The collection draws on the movement and poetry of dance with easy plissé dresses in chinoiserie prints and leotard-inspired base layers to counteract the collection’s many lace and point d’esprit pieces. There are blazers and boys and bow-accented boots, each look chosen by the dancer wearing it. The biggest shift from seasons past—well, maybe other than the lack of much logomania or text graphics—are the mannish coats made lovely with a ruffle along the back. Delicate but tough, just like the dancers wearing them.
6 February 2019
Red Valentino has long made charming clothes. But in the ultra-woke world of social media and the Internet, charming clothes are not enough. Pierpaolo Piccioli has been imbuing his Valentino main-line collections with messages of acceptance and beauty, which have now trickled down to Red Valentino. The brand’s Pre-Fall is the proof. Shot in Rome’s Accademia di Belle Arti, the lookbook features unretouched images of 23 art students from around the world, each photographed in a look of their choosing. There’s no hair, no makeup; the students posed for the shoot as they are, representing a large swath of artistic endeavors, from the fashion design student Chiara Volpe to the illustrator Ilaria de Sanctis. “I am looking at Red Valentino as a new community—creative minds and authentic individuals that can interpret and see a collection in their own way,” says Piccioli. That’s an interesting concept; of course, only the most well-off students could afford Red Valentino.For the lucky ones who can, this was a compelling collection. Ideas of toughness and romance are often at the root here; this season, the lineup was distilled to a mostly black, red, and blush palette with an underlyingBlack Swanmotif. (Every good girl has a bad streak.) Wing embroideries and delicate peony-print dresses contrasted with tough leather jackets and pointed-toe kitten heels, and the brand’s supersweet point d’esprit frocks were given a sexy edge with one shoulder or a sheer skirt. Worn by a diverse cast of kids, the already-cool clothes looked fairly irresistible.
10 December 2018
Have you noticed that every cool woman from around the world has landed in Mexico this summer, peppering your Instagram feed with shots from Casa Luis Barragán and Holbox? The latest person to set sights on the D.F. is actually a man, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli. Inspired by the spirit of Mexico’s Adelitas—female revolutionaries who wore ruffled dresses and bandoliers—Piccioli and his Red Valentino team set out to create a collection of contrasts: the softness of plissé against rigid sporty shapes, the delicacy of florals against the roughness of tattoo-inspired prints, point d’esprit prettiness with a hoodie. As Piccioli sees it, “The Red Valentino Spring 2019 Collection celebrates strength and creativity—an aesthetic that is more than a fashion statement, it’s the signifier of personal identity and affirmation of the self.”Take it from the designer himself, then: These are pieces meant to be styled how you wish. In the lookbook they are mixed and matched with everything from ballet-inspired sneakers to delicate kitten heels. If it feels a little bit like a grab bag—what does this wispy black tulle dress with silk flower embellishments have to do with a boxer’s-robe-meets-kimono combination?—that’s intentional. It’s up to the wearer to imbue these pieces with her own revolutionary spirit. In ceding designer dictatorial power, Piccioli has come out more powerful: Let the woman be herself. Let her choose!
5 September 2018