Excitement was high before Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino in Paris on Sunday afternoon – undoubtedly the most coveted invitation of the season. Instead of going with the expected choice, Michele broke with tradition and forsook the chic salon of the Salomon de Rothschild Hotel Particulier, where Valentino fashion shows historically took place, in favour of an unconventional location on the outskirts of Paris. He named the exhibition Pavillon des Folies – Pavilion of Madness.
The show took place in the Dojo de Paris area, where we expected a vast, impersonal space inside a judo academy, a far cry from Valentino’s typical fashion emblem. But for Alessandro Michele, everything is unexpected. Walking through a dark corridor covered in black velvet, the place suddenly transformed into a strange and magical atmosphere, bathed in dim lights and strange music. Piles of furniture, statues and a grand piano are all wrapped in white cloth, somehow evoking the ethereal atmosphere of Stranger Things or Miss Havisham’s neglected estate. Is this a metaphor for letting go of the past to make way for a new beginning? Are the ghosts of the past roaming the streets?
Celebrities were aplenty in this heady atmosphere. Harry Styles, in corduroy and a red sweater, sat between Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and Damiano David in maneskin, the former wearing a beautiful white Valentino red cardigan, while the latter wore an off-white suit that covered his many tattoos. Italian film director Paolo Sorrentino sat alongside Valentino Garavani’s longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti at a banquet. At the end of the show, Giammetti was seen on a FaceTime call with Valentino, who was presumably enjoying the event from the comfort of his opulent Roman couture house.
When the show began, all attention was on the stage and the audience was captivated. The music is a remix of the 17th century Italian madrigal Passacaglia de la Vita, which conveys a message of joy, beauty and hope. Then, Alessandro Michele’s astonishing creativity worked its magic again – a series of stunning designs that elevated Valentino Garavani’s exquisite legacy to a powerful new level of visionary whimsy.
