facchinetti at valentino
Cathy Horyn writes this week about Alessandra Facchinetti’s first haute couture collection for Valentino. She gives an overall favorable review, though she gripes a bit about some of the more “architectural” pieces, which she describes as “a little fashion-schoolish” for her taste. Below are a few examples of these awkward silhouettes.
I suppose Facchinetti should be celebrated for her willingness to experiment and take risks, however, I think she may have overdone it. I’m sure that the pressure Facchinetti feels at taking over the house of Valentino from Mr. Garavani himself is nearly overwhelming. I understand her impulse to set a new tone for the house and appeal to a younger set, but this collection seems to me to be a bit of a stretch. Valentino distinguished himself in the world of haute couture by consistently creating body-conscious, elegant, timeless pieces that were appropriate for Hollywood starlets, First Ladies and Park Avenue swans alike. Leave it to Galliano or Ghesquière to push the envelope with wild palettes and impossible shapes. Valentino epitomized old school glamour. The cocktail dress below from his Fall 2007 Haute Couture Collection is a perfect example.
The overlapping layers of draped fabric arranged in an almost braid-like pattern down the front of the dress draw particular attention to the curves of a woman’s body, accentuating the bust and hip. In any other fabric, the effect might be cloying, but in metallic gold, it’s simultaneously futuristic (think spandex space suits) and fanciful (the shimmering tail of a mermaid).
I don’t want to suggest that I think Facchinetti’s first collection was a complete wash. There were a couple of pieces that hearkened back to the age of Garavani. Fachinetti’s bold use of texture and shape and minimalist use of color in the strapless number below are nothing short of brilliant.
The architectural elements add interest to the body rather than distorting and distracting from it. While the collection as a whole was, in my opinion, too great a departure from Valentino’s distinctive style, Facchinetti earned her keep with a few well-executed suits and dresses, which is a better track record than those of most designers with their own namesake collections.
