Friday 27 January 2012

fashion friday – valentino haute couture


I'm turning this into a series, so Fridays from now on will be 'fashion fridays'. I hope you're okay with that. (Those of you not interested in fashion can simply avoid my blog on Fridays. wink) Today I'm showing you a few details from the Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2012 Collection, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who described the collection as "pervaded by a desire to return to a real, more intimate dimension of life and style."

This show definitely felt different.

In his review for Vogue US, Hamish Bowles noted: "In their own soft-spoken way this design duo have been able to take Valentino’s uniquely feminine ideal, remove some of his va-va-voom, but gently refashion it to create a unique and compellingly modern glamour that is all their own."

I couldn't have said it better. Well I probably would have phrased it: "remove [a lot] of his va-va-voom". For me this show felt very down to earth, which probably has something to do with seeing heeled pumps and lace slippers instead of high heels on a sisal/seagrass runway.

Bowles also noted: "The program also revealed that 1,000 hours of labor, for instance, went into the handwork on the opening dress of elaborately smocked organza; 1,250 hours into the sparkling silver embroidery on a chine taffeta redingote based on an eighteenth-century version; and 800 hours just to weave the warp-print faille for one of those ball dresses. These breathtaking figures reveal just what makes the haute couture so special—but it is the hands of Valentino’s skilled Roman atelier staff that really spin magic into material that is, of course, far from base, and bring the Chiuri and Piccioli vision so beautifully to life. "

Have a fabulous Friday!

photo credit:

14 comments:

  1. beautiful to look at, but otherwise not quite my thing ;)

    happy friday, my dear xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. not your thing? I thought we were all wearing couture every single day ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm happy to wear couture everyday! Definitely snap today on the valentino thing... Haha great minds. One day I'll go to one of those haute couture shows... I will so. Have a good one: x
    Ps: the tennis was great: nadal vs berdych.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Of course it's the skills of the Roman atelier staff that spin the magic...it's a team work. Balenciaga was only one after all, wink. Lisa, couldn't be happier about your new series, your fashion posts are always entertaining and interesting.
    Have a very good Friday! xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. One of my favourite collections this season. Absolutely gorgeous. x

    ReplyDelete
  6. The craftmanship is incredible! I was such a big fan of this show. Down to earth yes! I loved the flats. Feminine and just so pretty.

    Have a great weekend, Lisa!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Stunning pieces, it is amazing to think of how much work goes into these creations. Another example is Duchess Kate's bridal gown and all the handsewn lace work....just amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such detail! I love it. My favorite is the last picture - gray lace. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. the dress on the first right photo, that is just the perfect dress! (Iris)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh how lovely! The craftsmanship is incredible, with such beautiful details xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Lisa, I could happily wear any of these and love the craftmanship and attention to detail. So many stunning collections to look at and not enough zero's in the bank account:)

    Hope you have had a lovely weekend. x

    ReplyDelete
  12. These designs are just beautiful, Lisa—it's so nice to have a closer look... and also, to learn a bit more about the process of creation...

    Lovely! x

    ReplyDelete
  13. Such a classy dress, but I really love its design and color especially the last photo.

    Christina @ Ralph Lauren 2 Button Suits

    ReplyDelete

Your comment appears on the blog after approval. Comments with commercial links are reported as spam.