This season Valli’s inspiration is a cross between American Prairie and Parisian decadence. A heavy constructed silhouette! But first I have to get this out, “Carol Ann walk to the light”, those hats, come on! The opening section is a series of black looks with a few prints pieces here and there. The lengths of the dresses are short while the outerwear pieces are long and the pant leg is straight to the floor. One of the strongest outerwear statements in the opening section is the print pieces. One great piece is black/white/yellow modern print on a heavy wool fabric. The coat is collarless and has a ¾ length sleeve with a bubble shape cuff. Another great look from the opening section is Valli’s bell-bottom pantsuit. The pants have slim tailored leg down to the knee and then Valli flares the fabric to the floor in a bell bottom shape. The matching jacket is tightly tailored in the sleeve and torso.

In the second section Valli shifts to a black and white color palette and the emphasis is on blacking the black and white pieces or incorporating more prints. The inspiration for the prints is certainly taken from St. Laurent’s animal and pop prints from the 80’s. While the color blocking is derived from Mondrian’s artwork. The third section is more of the same shapes but the designer gets frilly and girly. Adding tight layers of ruffles or bundles of feathers on top or the hem of dresses. While I find these pieces are take inspiration from past seasons, Valli’s craftsmanship and choice of fabrics really make the pieces and looks standout. One of the best examples is Valli’s black and white contrast bubble print silk cocktail dress. The top of the dress is covered in black and white quail feathers down to the bottom of the bust line. The bust line of the dress is trimmed with a black velvet ribbon and bow, which then connects to the black/white print skirt. Another strong cocktail dress in the evening section is a short length empire waist cocktail dress in black silk taffeta. The top of the dress is covered in large black crystals. Valli gives the dress small caps on the shoulder, reminiscent of the shoulder cap at Lagerfeld’s last collection for Chanel.

Valli’s must have outerwear piece from the collection is his wide set collar overcoat. The coat is done in a black and purple version of the contrast bubble print on silk taffeta. The other must have piece from the collection is his white strapless silk crepe cocktail dress worn with a side black belt around the waist. The bust line of the dress is covered in layers of tight white ruffles and pleats. The only color piece in the collection was a red silk taffeta dress. The statement for this collection is to bring back the little dress and give us a girly and playful looks. While I loved the constraint of the black and white color palette, I could only imagine how much more powerful the collection would have been with more color. In the end the collection is a great féte! Bravo Monsieur Valli!

View complete collection at Wireimage

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