For Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, exploring the power of the feminine body was the focal point of his latest collection. In the show, presented at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the Italian designer showed his stance against the recently rising conservative moods in his home country of policing women’s bodies and blaming their appearance for harassment they may face.

The presentation opened with a series of intricate laser-cut dresses which strongly addressed this point. In these stand-out pieces, the decorative elements were treated as the basis of construction, with three-dimensional lilies and doves being interwoven together to create a garment.

The raw feminine energy was also felt in the fabrics chosen throughout – thick linen was used to create a mini dress with cut-outs on the sides and a spectacular cape embellished with sirens, while silk became the basis of tailored suit jackets and floor-length t-shirt gowns with a slit going all the way to the hip bone.

As the models walked around the performance by Piccioli’s close collaborator, FKA Twigs – an artist so well-known for using her athletic physique in her hypnotic productions – his vision could not be clearer. At Valentino, the goal is to give women the ultimate freedom to express themselves in any way they please.

Words by Martin Onufrowicz

VALENTINO SS23

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