Alessandro Michele's Valentino collection puts 70s silhouettes in the Paris spotlight

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PARIS (AP) — Against strobe lights that suggested seedy allure more than spectacle, Alessandro Michele's Valentino collection Sunday showed restraint where once there was riot. Prim ’70s silhouettes — bows, ruching, velvet skirts — set a mood at Paris Fashion Week of controlled nostalgia.

The high point was a draped gold gown with a feathered white collar, evoking myth and Valentino’s Roman past. A polka-dot shirt, satin skirts split with bright yellow panels, and occasional colorblocking kept the eclectic spirit alive, though without the exuberant force Michele has deployed before.

That was the story of the show: less spectacle, more editing. Where Michele’s early collections for the house, and his Gucci tenure before that, thrived on sheer overload — tassels, turbans, ruffles, references piled high — here he cut cleaner lines and pared styling back. The result felt more wearable, but also less astonishing.

Valentino’s identity is rooted in beauty and polish. Under founder Valentino Garavani, the house meant jet-set elegance and “Valentino red.” Under designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, it leaned into couture-like refinement. Michele entered with a different tool kit: maximalist nostalgia, gender-fluid styling, and deep archive mining. He has said the job is to “manipulate the past to make it now,” balancing modern maximalism with relevance so the brand doesn’t freeze in time.

Valentino, like other luxury houses, is also navigating a tougher market patch, with 2024 revenue reportedly about $1.42 billion — roughly 3% lower than the year before — naturally adding pressure for collections that are not just faster to resonate but more clearly commercial.

That backdrop makes the contrast with Michele’s early seasons sharper. Last year's return came stacked with bows, ruffles, tassels, turbans and lavish embroideries; accessories were “to the hilt,” and the casting and sets were theatrical. The January couture debut went further — crinolines and panniers, Fellini-style Roman notes, and a long list of old-Hollywood and ecclesiastical references. It proved range, but also raised the risk of costume.

Michele has also tried to ground the house in daily wear: tweed pants, V-neck knits, faux-fur jackets, and even a Vans collaboration sat beside porcelain-kitty clutches and cat-face dresses. That split — wardrobe vs. wonder — is the tension he keeps trying to solve.

By contrast, the latest collection looked almost cautious. It captured Michele’s instinct for eclecticism, but in a neater, safer key. This wasn’t the shock of the new or the ecstasy of his earlier showings. Instead, it was a quieter chapter, proof that Michele is capable of restraint.