VALENTINO MEN'S F/W 2017
PUNK UNDERCURRENT
The Fall/Winter 2017-18 season marked Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first solo men’s show for Valentino, after he split up with longtime design partner Maria Grazia Chiuri. With a focused and in-control message, he infused the collection with the new gentleness and confidence that is currently ruling the men’s wear scene. Providing that exclusive extra twist, Piccioli asked Jamie Reid, the graphic designer who worked with the Sex Pistols, to come up with two slogans to use in his collection. The result is “Beauty is a birthright, reclaim your heritage” and “It seemed to be the end, until the next beginning.”
Working punk as a state of mind rather than in obvious references, Piccioli also took his cue from images by iconoclastic artists such as Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Caravaggio, adding a collegiate-meets-gentlemanly feel to the line-up. The color palette is accentuated by pastel green, camel, rust and pink, further expressing a soft side and quiet flamboyance. A multitude of finely-executed ideas that flourish across the board, from shrunken tailored pieces to leather outerwear, from sporty tops to the hot new sneakers.