The Message Was in The Music at Valentino

“Dream maker / Heartbreaker” Can you think of words that describe Pierpaolo Piccioli better? They’re pulled from the lyrics of “Moon River,” a sweetly melancholy ditty that Audrey Hepburn sang in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Frank Ocean’s cover was on the soundtrack at Valentino’s Spring 2020 show today. According to the notes, this was a season dedicated to purifying and self-discovery through withdrawal. In practical terms that meant Piccioli stepped away from collaborations, like those with Jun Takahashi and poets like Robert Montgomery, who contributed to Fall 2019’s publication, Valentino on Love. Taking the place of the visible written word was a soundtrack laden with lyricism and meaning.

“There’s such a crazy world to see” —“Moon River,” by Frank Ocean

Piccioli’s journeys for Spring were internal and archival. The show opened and closed with all-white looks. The notes reminded us that “the non color white is ultimately a sum of every color of the spectrum.” That concept sits in line with Piccioli’s philosophy of inclusion and openness, and also ties back to Valentino Garavani’s all white lineup of 1968, the one that put the house on the map, according to Vogue, which noted “the cleanliness and distinction of his crisp whites, his lacy whites, his soft and creamy whites, all shown together white on white.”

The magazine declared the 1968 collection to be a triumph for the designer “who, pouring out all this beauty, romance, and perfection, has become the idol of the young, a new symbol of modern luxury…” It’s a description that fits Piccioli as well.

“I’ll be with you / I’ll be there / I’ll never leave you / Your shirt on my chair” — “Bright Red” by Laurie Anderson

Beyond archival references in the collection, there were other ways of presenting the familiar in a new light. The white shirt became a dress, or was romanced with marabou feathers. A trench was imagined as a pleated silk coat dress. It was about making “the ordinary extraordinary,” as Piccioli put it.

“Chasing after our rainbow’s end” —Moon River, by Frank Ocean

The show was presented in a space constructed on the grounds of Les Invalides, a 17th century compound in the classical style, with a clear, bright palette that was mostly white with pops of chartreuse. The show was reflected in two big porthole mirrors at the top of the catwalk.

“No one else can make me feel / The colors that you bring” —“Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton

When Piccioli did introduce color it was in sun-softened brights, plus a few pops of neon. No Valentino show would be complete without a jot of Valentino Red (which was nodded to sonically in the choice of Laurie Anderson’s “Bright Red”). In actuality it was a rich coral for Spring 2020.

“Wild beasts shall rest there / And owls shall answer one another there / And the hairy ones shall dance there / And sirens in the temples of pleasure” — “Bright Red” by Laurie Anderson

A couture sensibility and use of handcraft touches everything Piccioli does, in every category. The atelier’s handiwork was displayed most decoratively in a section of the show that featured flora and fauna and seemed to nod to the dreamlike wildernesses rendered by the French painter Henri Rousseau. This focus on the natural world, as climate change and Amazon fires are in the news, was well timed.

“Softer than shadow” — “Lullaby” by The Cure

The addition of dancing marabou feathers on everything from cotton separates to leather bags contributed to this collection’s “lightness of being.”

“Stay with me while we grow old /And we will live each day in springtime / ’Cause lovin’ you is easy ’cause you’re beautiful” — “Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton

Piccioli, who works in Rome, where layers of history are everywhere to be found, referenced classical sculpture pictorially for Fall; this historical element was internalized for Spring, in keep-forever dresses in slender columnar silhouettes to which flou was added via pleating and draping. This classical mood was underlined by lace-up Roman sandals for latter day Dianas or Cleopatras—or none of the above. Piccioli’s aim is for a woman to feel comfortable in her own skin—from the inside out.

Originally Appeared on Vogue