Italian fashion house Valentino returned to its roots Thursday (March 12) with a 1980s-inspired runway show in one of Rome's most spectacular venues, two months after the death of founder Valentino Garavani.
Around 700 people including Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow were invited to the show held in the galleries of the Palazzo Barberini, a Baroque palace now home to masterpieces by Caravaggio, Raphael and many others.
Valentino, known for dressing some of the world's most glamorous women, normally shows in Paris, despite having been established in the Italian capital in 1960.
But creative director Alessandro Michele chose to return to the Eternal City for his Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, the first for ready-to-wear since the founder's death aged 93 on Jan 19.
Under Pietro Da Cortona's spectacular ceiling fresco, The Triumph Of Divine Providence, male and female models walked out onto fake grass in outfits heavily inspired by the 1980s.
There were strong shoulders, cinched waists and mini-skirts, accessorised with glittering oversized jewellery, including giant pearls and chunky pendants.
Read more: 'Master of his craft': Tributes pour in for fashion designer Valentino Garavani
Michele, who took over in 2024, said that during the late 1980s and 1990s "Valentino was still working like crazy and making, from his hands, beauty".
It was a time of "positivity" and "empowerment", when women in particular were becoming more in control of their bodies, he told reporters backstage.
Working with pleats and draping the fabrics around their bodies, Valentino "was building the idea of a goddess... putting women in the centre of the world".
The final dress of Michele's collection, a longsleeved gown with a deep cut at the back, was a showstopper in the house's signature red.
"Red is very difficult to manage," Michele admitted, but said it was crucial to the brand.
Perfect world
The models reached the galleries via Francesco Borromini's helical staircase, one of two in the palazzo, the other a square design by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Commissioned at the same time, they reflect the palazzo's ability to have "divergent forces cohabit without neutralising one another", Michele said in the show notes.
Along the same vein, the collection – entitled Interferenze (interferences) – demonstrated contrasts between "code and deviation, lightness and gravity", he wrote.
Valentino, who dressed A-listers from Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor to Princess Diana and Julia Roberts, became synonymous with glamour and beauty.
Speaking to reporters, Michele said the designer made things that were "perfect", but "we no longer live in that perfect world".
"I do it my way, because I am the interference myself," he said.
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Very important clients
The invite-only, black-tie show was a lavish affair, with many guests invited to a dinner afterwards, and brought to the venues in official cars.
It was broadcast live on Valentino's social media channels and on big screens around Rome, Milan and Naples – but it was those inside the room who the house wanted to wow.
Of the estimated 700 guests invited, 200 were journalists and VIPs, with the rest VIC – very important clients, according to a Valentino insider.
Like other fashion houses, Valentino has been buffeted by the myriad of challenges facing the wider luxury industry, from slowing demand to inflation and geopolitical uncertainty.
Michele helped transform Gucci during his seven years there, and Valentino is hoping he will do the same for them.
The label is 70 percent owned by Qatar investment fund Mayhoola, while French luxury group Kering has a 30 percent stake. – AFP
