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Hello... My First Review....

Tuesday 02-05-2013:

Red Valentino.

Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri have Certainly Reinvented the Valentino Brand Into something Uniquely their own. Whilst still retaining much of the Luxurious Aesthetic that Senor Garavani was so blissfully wedded to, they have created a much Quieter Sense of The old Masters Ideas and Designs. That isn't a bad thing, when new designers take over a house they must infuse their own Design Sensibilities into DNA of the house while still keeping the Codes of the house in mind. Pier Paolo and Maria Grazia have Shifted the Focus of Valentino now so Brilliantly, Seamlessly and Fluidly to their own Creative Inspirations that while the Valentino signature is still there... it has been redefined to fit the new blood that is pumping through the veins of the Venerable old house with Decades of Couture Technique to draw on for their exercises in the most Luxuriant Discretion!

So how Jarring it was to see this show which exuberantly kicked the Quiet, Cerebral Luxury of the house firmly on it's Posterior! It wasn't that the Collection is Particularly Terrible... but it is Quite.... Garish. Even for Valentino. which in it's heyday could concoct some serious Over-The-Top Confections! This just didn't seem very well judged. Executed Brilliantly though it may have been (the clothes are FANTASTICALLY Made!, One would expect no less) But what was created was just... Dare i say, Silly! Whimsical was what they seemed to be going for with a "Hansel Und Gretel" idea without Hansel, It all came off more Kitschy than Youthful and Exuberant. Not that Kitsch is a BAD Thing, But in the wrong hands it can be a bit much!

The Folkloric Prints that were found in the first few outfits were Startling, In a good way and immediately brought to the fore the Germanic Folklore feeling they were striving for, one particularly Beautiful outfit was No.4, A white Dress with simple, naive embroidery that felt Youthful and still practical. throw a good old stolid Cashmere Cardigan or Wool Coat on over that piece and it's an Instant and Easy Piece to wear in the city. But after that, the collection began to devolve into Garish Coloured Plaids and Outfits more suited to Old Navy or Lululemon... They just didn't come off as anywhere near sophisticated or for that fact, Pretty. they seemed, Childish. Baby Gap Sales rack Childish. Was it all a Mess... Not Exactly, but the Mess did outweigh the Gems. It was all just too short, too "GIRLISH" and too Over Styled in a way that skewed it even Younger. No Real Women would be caught Walking Any Metropolis in any corner of the world wearing these Beautifully made, yet, exasperatingly Child Like Wares.