Of all Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's collections Red Valentino is the most democratic—a category that could grow in importance for them in the wake of their role in the Zoolander 2 media blitz. Parts of their new Fall outing seemed tailor made to the young women that the movie will turn on, what with the social media-friendly slogans on the clothes. In our Instagram-crazy age, message fashion has become a quite a trend, but few brands execute it with the kind of finesse the Red Valentino designers did here, hand-stitching words and phrases onto military-influenced separates and outerwear.
The theme of the collection was travel and exploration, "in the world and on the web," Chiuri clarified, and the words—heart, happiness, joy—were universal and unobjectionable. They do, however, have an age limit, and the same can be said of the mermaid and seashell appliques they put on denim. As always, though, this offering was quite large, with room enough for unadorned, excellently cut pea coats and military capes, and many variations on the frilly, often embroidered mixed-print dresses that are Chiuri and Piccioli’s romantic stock in trade. Plenty for moms and daughters to want when Red Valentino concept stores start popping up in Rome and London later this year.
