COMPLETE COLLECTION DETAILS

PARIS, July 8, 2001

By Armand Limnander

Valentino's couture is not about flash-in-the-pan trends or jumping onto the latest bandwagon. The Roman designer stays at the top of his game by giving his illustrious clientele exactly what they want: graceful, impeccably crafted clothes that provide plenty of va-va-voom when needed.

For this show, Valentino delivered immaculate pencil-skirt tailleurs, some trimmed in sable, others decorated with elaborate ruching at the shoulders. Several beige day dresses and wool coats were printed or lined with albino tiger stripes, while jackets were embellished with the designer’s signature fabric twist in the back or along the front. For after five, there were brightly colored, show-stopping gowns (like the Ferrari-red ruffled number that opened the show), as well as a group of airy, delicate dresses in pale shades, equipped with painstakingly embroidered jabots evoking Edwardian times.

Valentino's accessories had a Deco feel to them: Stingray pumps featured a black stripe on the back of the heel, while others were covered in feathers to match the carefully constructed, circular-handle bags.