Valentino's Spring-Summer 2024 Haute Couture Collection in Paris

Presented on Place Vendôme in Paris, the Spring-Summer 2024 haute couture collection of the Italian fashion house exudes a sense of freedom and accomplishment. Another interesting fashion show was Pharrell Williams' star-studded fall-winter 2024.

A suspended moment in an exceptional location. It was in the salons overlooking the very chic Place Vendôme in Paris that Valentino showcased its Spring-Summer 2024 haute couture collection on January 24th. Gilded decor, carpeting, and monumental balustrade staircases were all part of the setting, as was a certain excitement. Outside, the crowd erupted with enthusiasm when American celebrity Kylie Jenner appeared with her five-year-old daughter, Stormi. A similar reception was given to Jennifer Lopez, Florence Pugh, and influencer Léna Mahfouf just minutes earlier. These celebrities all had in common the choice of wearing black, as if it were part of the dress code. Its uniqueness lay in accentuating the explosion of Stabilo colors in a collection that struck a balance between fantasy and sharp tailoring.

A joyful parade began with the first silhouette. A model wearing fuchsia straight-leg pants strolled with hands in pockets, dressed in a transparent top embellished with delicate polka dots, all under a casually open blouson. In a space designed as a place of return and departure, artistic director Pierpaolo Piccioli highlighted a play of sartorial paradoxes. The eye should not become accustomed to an ensemble of pieces but consider each one individually. For instance, a sequined sea-green gazar tank top had its own personality but harmonized effortlessly with mauve wool gabardine pants. This marriage of pragmatism and extravagance found its codes in haute couture.

The clothes paraded, accompanied by the backdrop of opera music. Colors exploded, akin to yin and yang. As seen with a peacock-green draped silk bustier dress worn with a brick-red wool coat or a red cotton gabardine pants paired with a black lace tank top. The idea was to merge tailoring with eccentricity, as if reinventing the timelessness of haute couture. The kind that dresses, inspires dreams, and grounds the wearer in reality. Perhaps many reasons why "The Salon" was a fitting theme for the runway: "A place that testifies to beauty and where one experiences humanity," as stated in the carefully placed velvet pouf press release. That evening, there was humanity and life - from the smiles of the crowd outside trying to capture their idols on film to the warm applause for the Valentino team at the end of the show. It's a moment when haute couture, at the pinnacle of chic, combines the sensational with a comforting reality.