Giambattista Valli's Haute Couture collection for the Spring and Summer 2024 exuded a vibrant ode to nature, drawing inspiration from the freshness of blossoms. Valli's artistic approach involved sculpting shapes through skillful drapery and allowing fabrics to flow in a way that felt most natural.
For Valli, couture is a performance of gestures and a showcase of the atelier's technical mastery, just like a mysterious spectacle. He describes his vision of couture as transcending the boundaries of time, an ever-evolving form that embraces the limitless allure of the unfinished while capturing the endless beauty of infinity, he shared backstage.
After a bodice topped with white roses openend the show, a striking sequence unfolded with a collection of lavishly embellished minidresses, paying homage to the enchantment of blooms. Tulle drapery cascaded in an array of extravagant forms, encompassing capes, silk flower-printed kimonos, delicate feathered accents, intricate cutouts, mermaid tails, and colossal ballooned silhouettes.
Fabrics included rustling taffeta silks in delicate pastel hues, some adorned with ombré floral shadows, to a few standout pieces crafted from luxurious obsidian-black velvet.
Valli's couture always embraces sensuality, and a prime example was the opening bodice in sumptuous black velvet. It featured white roses delicately adorning the neckline, revealing alluring bare legs and paired with flat, golden-buckled, quasi-gladiator shoes.
The final look, preceding the bridal gown, featured a voluminous three-layered ballooned draping in vibrant raspberry, with a plunging V-neck and an off-the-shoulder design. It exuded quintessential Valli charm: playful, spirited and infused with Parisian nonchalance.
