Suited and booted – but not in the way that one might expect. Creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a collection of epic proportions for Valentino FW23, a total of 73 looks reinterpreting the art of dressing up through a twisted, 21st-century formality. The focal point was the sleek, and surprisingly versatile, black tie: “a symbol of masculine power, an emblem of orthodoxy and restriction, our preconceptions of the tie become theoretical architecture for a collection that toys with the rules, emancipating meaning.”

As each model descended the staircase at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild and paraded through its grand suites, Piccioli’s vision for a liberated uniformity began to unfold.  Tailoring was inherently unisex. After all, if the suit and tie is designed for everyone, then its roots in power and masculinity are surely diminished. Hemlines were raised and last season’s platforms were replaced by stomping biker boots, meanwhile an abundance of facial jewellery and heavy eyeliner confirmed that this black tie event remained firmly anti-establishment. The collection grew more embellished with subtle references to Valentino couture, incorporating extravagant feather and sequin details, graphic prints, and silhouettes in the house’s imitable primary red. The iconic Rockstud, first introduced in 2010, featured across shoes and accessories in an amplification of the brand’s modern punk aesthetic. 

Closing the show, models gathered in the venue’s foyer and Piccioli took his bow, it was clear that this was a collection not concerned with conformity, but with the enhancement of individuality through uniformity. As the show notes detailed, “In the same way that the meaning of black tie is shattered and reassembled with new definition, our perception of uniform is reconsidered, conventions destroyed.”