Giambattista Valli presented pre-fall in his new West 27th Street showroom. The massive top-floor space with floor-to-ceiling views on three sides would seem to indicate that business is going very well chez Valli. He certainly didn t skimp on materials for this latest outing. Indeed, he may have come up with an entirely new category: the fur dress. Presumably, his rich clients in South America and the Middle East—the kind who rang him up after his first-ever Couture show in July to order five-figure gowns directly from online pictures—have enough fur coats. The mink and fox frocks he showed today follow the general description of the silhouette he s known for: sleeveless, slightly A-line, and above the knee.
There were plenty of his signature patchwork creations, but where Spring was sweet, this season s offerings have a darker, richer feel, exemplified by a coat-dress that married nubby black wool, a gold brocade, and a diamond-pattern jacquard that Valli said reminded him of furniture fabric. There wasn t a sequin or bead in sight. The most striking look, in fact, was a cropped top with three-quarter-length sleeves in a brick red wool and its matching high-waisted, flared trousers. Signs of a more streamlined Valli to come? Those aforementioned clients may take issue, but diversifying, remember, is key to growing a business.
