12 posts tagged "Maria Grazia Chiuri"
Folksy Clothing: Of the People, For The Fashion Set
Traditional folk costume is experiencing a modern revival. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli wove an enchanting tale on the Valentino Fall runway, showing floral embroidered dresses and tapestry coats that evoked the peasantry (granted, there was nothing common about these clothes). Then Erdem Moralioglu went Amish on us with a crafty new Resort collection full of hexagonal patchwork quilting motifs. Earlier this week, Marc Jacobs got into the mix with stiff A-line frocks overlaid with lace that were fit for a matryoshka doll. Speaking of, you can often spot real-life Russian doll Ulyana Sergeenko preening for the street-style photographers in her own old-world-inspired designs.
CLICK FOR A SLIDESHOW of more folksy looks.
At The Met: Cape Town
We’ve already noted the influence Angelina Jolie had on this year’s Met ball red carpet. No less influential: Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow’s cape-and-gown Tom Ford look was Oscar night’s best, and it’s proven to have legs at the Met, too. Gwyneth’s stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman Walker, told me at an event in Paris that she was inspired by Jackie Kennedy’s timeless chic when working on Gwyneth’s Academy Awards look. Last night, some of those donning capes, like Maria Grazia Chiuri, in Valentino, went for classic, too. But there were just as many others who chased glitz and glam. Lana Del Rey sparkled in custom Altuzarra, and Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, in Dolce & Gabbana, reminded me of an Italian movie star from the sixties. Sally Singer was lacy in Nina Ricci, but the cherry on the surrealist cake goes to Linda Fargo in custom Naeem Khan. Shocking, Schiaparelli-style.
Valentino’s Creative Directors Prepare For Their Men’s Runway Debut
Tomorrow in Florence, Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli debut their Fall ’12 menswear collection as the invited guests of Pitti Uomo. The occasion marks the first runway show for the men’s collections, which the designers took over several season ago and have been quietly showing by appointment in their Place Vendome showroom—where it has been a quiet highlight of the Paris collections—ever since. In advance of tomorrow’s show, Chiuri and Piccioli spoke to Style.com about their couture sensibility, the idea of individual luxury, and their quest for the perfect piece. They’ve also shared two sketches of pieces that will hit the catwalk tomorrow; check back for the full looks, as well as Tim Blanks’ review from Pitti.
How do you approach designing menswear differently from designing womenswear? How do you see the Valentino man in relation to the Valentino woman?
Menswear in our vision is very close to the idea of personal and private luxury such as with the haute couture. It is a different result, of course, but the approach is quite similar… Volume and proportions are contemporary but with an echo of memory of sartorial and couture culture, silhouettes are cutting edge and sharp, constructions are very precise, maintaining lightness. [The Valentino man and the Valentino woman] share the same culture of couture and same spirit of effortless elegance.
How did you begin designing this season: Were there specific inspirations or ideas in mind, and how do these compare to what you’ve done in seasons past?
The world of couture. La sala Bianca. Antonioni and Pasolini. Mastroianni and Roman style. In the other collection, we were concentrated on translating the culture of couture in sportswear and modern wardrobe for contemporary men. In this collection, we aim to define our men with a more cinematographic attitude.
How did you research this collection? Does it relate to Valentino’s archival menswear, or is it more of a break with what’s come before?
This collection is close to the values of beauty and luxury of the brand, but our man is definitely far from what [he] was before. Beauty is individual and luxury is understated. You need a workmanship culture to buy a couture piece as you would need it to buy a sartorial jacket with the kind of innovation that takes place when tradition meets technology.
You’ve been showing your men’s collection in the showroom for the past several seasons. What do you have planned for your first presentation? Will it be a static presentation or a runway show? How are you working to incorporate Florence into the presentation?
A runway show, but with the intimate feeling of a couture show. Digital screens will give a new perspective and balance to the frescoes of the baroque rooms of Palazzo Corsini.
What do you think is the ideal outfit for a man? Do you feel that the ideal men’s outfit has changed over the years?
The perfect suit. The perfect shirt. The perfect tie. The perfect shoes. The perfect outerwear. The perfect denim. To be perfect, everything has to be authentic, but with the perfect proportions and a subtle something—everything is just about the obsession for perfection!
Pitti Uomo Chases Down Valentino, Woos Olympia Le-Tan
After a toast to a new season, a coming new year, and—hurrahs all around—a new Italian government, Pitti Immagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone briefed the crowd gathered for lunch in New York this afternoon on what to expect for the next editions of Pitti Uomo and Pitti W, the menswear and womenswear trade fairs in Florence that have become an increasingly important stop on the global fashion circuit. As has been announced, Valentino will be the invited guest at the menswear fair, where creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli (left) will present their men’s collection on the runway for the first time, after several seasons of showroom appointments in Paris. “We were following them like dogs,” Napoleone told the room with a laugh. “Very hungry.” Every dog, it turns out, has his day.
Also at the men’s fair, Andrea Pompilio, winner of last year’s Who Is On Next award, given by Vogue Italia, will present his collection, as will the revived English suiting line Hardy Amies. The invited guest for the women’s fair is accessory designer Olympia Le-Tan. The designer, who studied Italian literature in university, will create a special collection inspired by classic Italian books.
The fair will also host exhibitors drawn from around the world, many coming for the first time. The Alexander McQueen contemporary collection, McQ, will make its Pitti debut, as will Jimmy Choo’s men’s collection. Milan Vukmirovic, the former Trussardi designer, will preview his new Chevignon Heritage collection. And in New Beat(s), a special section devoted to first-time showings, 20 Japanese brands and designers will show their work, selected by Yuichi Yoshii and produced in cooperation with Japan fashion week.
Valentino To Show Menswear At Pitti Uomo
Valentino’s creative directors, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, have been showing their men’s collection quietly, in the label’s Place Vendome showroom. (Fanfare or not, their Spring ’12 collection, left, was one of the best of the menswear season.) For Fall, they’ll take their act to a bigger stage: It was announced today that the duo will be the guest designers at Pitti Uomo 81 in Florence this January. “Their work combines a dynamic, contemporary spirit with the sartorial savoir-faire of a house that wrote a huge chapter in the history of fashion,” Pitti Immagine CEO Raffaello Napoleone said in a statement today. “Their visionary yet pragmatic approach combines tradition and innovation without interruptions.” The show will be presented Wednesday, January 11, 2012.