Cultures that intersect treading the instinctive and idiosyncratic paths of a highly imaginative funky couture. The delocalization becomes horizon of the contemporary. Globetrotting as a condition of style. For the Valentino Fall 2016 Collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli look towards the exceptional image of Elio Fiorucci, the dynamic, authentic and the first prophet of pop. Just as his close friend Andy Warhol, with whom he has collaborated various times, Fiorucci transformed communication into a form of art. He created around himself an actual factory, discovering and promoting talents ignoring all types of geographical and cultural boundaries, contaminating local with global, the present with the abroad, the high with the low, the common man with the elite. An uninhibited and free behavior, cosmopolitan and metropolitan, in which the Creative Directors identify a timeless modernity and draw inspiration. Using the savoir -faire and the artistry of the Valentino Atelier as a distinctive sign, they embark on a journey that starts in Japan, skims through Texas and arrives in Jamaica, describing an emotional map, with non-detectable coordinates, where signs merge together and symbols invert. Just like in the Big Apple.
The collection is worked by pieces: distinct items add up together for a style that can be interpreted ad libitum. A Japoniste concept, with a reference to wabi-sabi: beauty that contemplates irregularity and imperfection. A reinterpreted Kimono created by Valentino Garavani in 1997 marks the beginning of a movement that brings blooming stems on camel hair coats, blue peacoats and black dresses with white collars. Studs and lace spread over tweed, while a wonderland pattern translates Japanese panoramas in a pop vibe, while peace symbols alternate and mesh to hearts. Denim is processed, embroidered and worn out and recurs as a unifying and timeless element. Echos and suggestions are constantly altered. Kimono prints characterise masculine shirts, mink fur coats have elementary silhouettes. Craftsmanship is protagonist: laminated and painted nappa leather intarsia on trench and pencil skirts and embroideries gather on unexpected garments. Dresses with an exacerbated purism have an industrial appeal contradicted by cosmic patterns, prints with sky and clouds, shirts and chemisier in silk with a Texan touch. Butterflies and melodic notes remain in the background, as elements of an aesthetic system in an endless expansion.
The blending of signs and cultures extends in the accessories: stretch suede boots, painted booties and ballerinas, thong sandals in velvet with a Japoniste touch. The new Valentino classics, Rockstud and butterflies, are reinterpreted from a wabi-sabi perspective. Japanese quilted kogin patterns create unexpected textures on bags and shoulder bags. Funky dragon motifs intensify the whole esprit.
Exploring faraway worlds in order to blend them in a timeless style, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli renew the quest of authentic beauty, distant from the common rules.
