Historic, romantic and quite formal, Paris is a city that draws people in. This certainly seeped into Rome-born Giambattista Valli, whose collections have always had a strong French accent and attitude.
Visiting the lavish salon in her Paris showroom, where her resort, pre-spring and beach collections are displayed, the designer broke up a silver mule with a bow the color of rose-flavored macaroons and wore it to Marie Described as an Antoinette sort of thing. Wear it when she rolls out of bed—or for that matter, director Sofia Coppola, who famously made a film about the last Queen of France in lush, ladylike colors and a lot of fuss.
Mostly in white, pink, and green, Valli’s clothing took its cues from French gardens: green canning patterned A-line skirts, and creeping embroidered vines over bib-front tuxedo shirts, tweed jackets, and snug knits.
He called the collection “en plein air”, which is the French word for outside. “We are breathing again – open space, open skies, nature, garden parties, happy times,” he said, referring to the easing of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. “Everything is about lightness.”
In fact, pastel colors, crisp or gossamer dresses, and fluid silhouettes telegraph a fresh and summery brand of feminine, Parisian chic: a poplin shirtdress in lace on one side, or a can of tulle sprouting over the neck of a swimsuit. Foam, which can also be worn as a top. There were touches of interspersed exotica; A Mandarin collar here, a draped, saffron-coloured dress there.
“The customer is looking for things that make you feel beautiful,” Valli said. “I like to give the end customer the freedom to interpret the collection how he wants.”
Add Valli to the list of designers looking to up their shoe game. Their resort and pre-spring offerings include flat sandals with bejeweled straps that were displayed in glass cabinetry, like art objects, or more earthy, cork-soled styles with sprouting large gold studs.
Originally published at Pen 18
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