Valentino
PARIS, March 12, 2002
By
With a bounce of their blow-dried, lacquered hairdos, a crowd of blonde bella donnas stepped out on the runway, decked head-to-gold-booted-toe in Valentino's vision of uptown chic. The designers' classic themes were out in force in a collection that played on his reputation for ultra-feminine tailoring, and paid homage to his rich archive of eveningwear.For day, Valentino's coats, prettily cinched at the waist and full in the skirt, were trimmed with deep bands of fur. He showed city-proper tweed and camel and added excitement to suits with long, fluid pleated skirts by slitting them to show a flash of leg. He even nodded to the biker trend of the season by cutting the most curvaceous leather jackets in town. But Valentino's woman is no streetwise toughie. She prefers to shine at all times, which is why her accessories—boots, bags, gloves and metallic leaf-shaped belts—came in gold, gold and more gold. For dinner, she loves a black lace blouse with poetic sleeves, a cute tiered taffeta smock and a lovely high-waisted coat, fastened under the bust with a black satin bow. She's even happier when given license to go all out for grand evening events. Valentino is at hand to offer every glam option in the book, from floor length gold-sequined gowns, through stately black taffeta, right up to the eye-popping classic red dresses that closed his show in the time-honored fashion.
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