One designer we don’t see nearly enough of on the red carpet is Giambattista Valli. I mean who can forget these shoes? Or this gown? With his freshman couture showing, this is likely to change at lightening speed. Sitting front row at the Fall Couture 2011 Valli show were Daphne Guinness, Anna della Russo, and Carine Roitfeld — does it get any more glamorous?
It’s rare that the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode admits new guest members to begin with, add to that the fact that it was just six years ago that Valli launched his Paris-based house, and it’s hard to imagine the pressure the designer must have been under.
Valli smartly stuck to his trademarks in his debut collection, one piece of which has already been worn by Charlotte Casiraghi. Casiraghi, the daughter of Stefano Casiraghi Caroline and Princess of Hanover, attended Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock‘s wedding dinner in Monaco the Saturday before the show wearing a strapless draped chiffon gown and cape. The goddess feel of the dress worn by Wittstock was a fitting preview of the collection which included softly draped dresses and gowns, exquisite beadwork, the designer’s famed animal prints, and plays on volume and color blocking. The result was a stellar collection that felt light and wearable, even when it came to the most voluminous looks, without ever once appearing safe.
It’s hard to not look at Valli’s debut and think of Valentino in his heyday — pure romantic glamour.
Images: Imaxtree
