Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli showed a bonus Valentino Haute Couture collection last week in New York. Forty-seven white dresses and gowns in chiffon, organza, and lace, each one more lavish than the last. Red Valentino is at the opposite end of the spectrum; it s the entry point to the designers world, but they bring a similar eye for embellishment to the line. Cargo jackets and pants for Pre-Fall were beaded with hearts and flowers; dresses were hand-knit or patchworked in leather in bold Pop art motifs that echoed their Fall 14 signature collection; and short trenchcoats were grommeted from shoulder to hem. You saw touches of the 60s in the dolly-bird dresses, and of the 40s in the peak-shoulder, feather-sleeve jackets. "Layers of memories," is the way Piccioli described the clothes via phone from Rome. The mash-up didn t look unfamiliar; vintage tropes of this sort have long been material for collections aimed at fashion s youngest consumers, but the special detailing and fine fabrications like that leather and, in place of lace, lots of point d esprit elevate Red Valentino above its contemporaries.
