subscribe to style file blog via RSSnouveau valentino: belle, zoe fans of understated decadence
July 3, 2008 1:39 pm
“She’s really marking her territory over there, like a dog just pissing all over the Place Vendôme. But it’s working.” Such was the rather graphic observation one fashion editor made after attending Alessandra Facchinetti’s Valentino Haute Couture debut Wednesday night in Paris. According to many, her scaled-down presentation in the company salon was a step in the right direction. This season there were just two rows of seats at the presentation, held in a white-carpeted room with gilded walls for an extremely select group of editors, clients, and celebrities, including Camilla Belle, Riley Keough, and Maria Sharapova. Following the show, harkening back to the intimate couture presentations of eras past, the house’s white coat-clad seamstresses came out and flanked the exit. “I think this is very chic,” said Rachel Zoe, while snapping pictures with her BlackBerry to make more expedient requests for her red-carpet girls. “She’s kept all the glamour, but not the extravagance. I wish all the shows were like this.” Fashion extravagance could be defined by Mr. Valentino’s previous shows. Remember that little party he threw himself in Rome last year? Or the mirrored runways, red-dress finale, and booming soundtrack that accompanied his last-ever show at Couture last season? Only time will tell if Facchinetti’s keeps up this new sense of glamorous but understated decadence. The collection’s last look was a flowing red gown, which says she’s not too afraid to tap into Valentino history.
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