Gold Gladiator Wreaths at Valentino Couture
Elaborate works of goldsmith at Valentino Couture. (Photo: Instagram)
The world has been looking to the Italians for fashion inspiration for decades, but for Fall 2015 Haute Couture, the House of Valentino went back a few centuries to Ancient Rome for hair inspiration. The show, appropriately set in the modern city of Rome, attempted to bring back the Roman Forum, where city life once congregated and flourished. Accompanying gladiator-inspired dresses and sandals were “Game of Thrones”-reminiscent romantic braids, crowns, and delicate gold wreaths embellished with gold stars and seals, all styled by Guido Palau.
“The inspiration for Valentino was Romanesque, so for the hair, we used the jewelry that was made for the collection as a crown,” says Palau. “First, I prepped the hair with Redken Satinwear 02 Prepping Blow-Dry Lotion and then created a natural center part and blow-dried the hair using a round brush. Next, I put a very natural movement through the hair using a large barrel curling iron. The crown was then placed on the head and secured by twisting side sections of the hair around the sides and back of the jewelry. Last, the back length of the hair was braided into a low loose braid using Redken Braid Aid 08 Defining Hair Lotion for extra grip.”
All that glitters is gold at Valentino Couture. (Photo: Instagram)
Like the Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2013 Byzantine and Venetian crowns, Valentino avoided the hippie kitsch of Coachella’s floral crowns by utilizing the austere force of gold, a metal that contributed significantly to the rise of the Roman empire through mining, jewelry production, and coins.
Braids, twists, and wreaths at Valentino Couture. (Photo: Instagram)
The usually silent Bill Cunningham once famously said, “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” Of course, Valentino’s women aren’t preparing for combat in the Coliseum, but they are outfitting themselves to conquer and rule over everyday battles of their own.
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