When Valentino Garavani founded the Maison, society at large was still defined by dress codes — there was workwear then there was formalwear.
Fast forward to 2020, Valentino’s current creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli is designing for a reformed society that is no longer bound by rules — the championing of broken suits, mismatched leather of belt and shoes and the shake-up of the formal/casual dichotomy.
The absence of roles and boundaries was apparent in Piccioli’s showing of the Valentino Spring Summer 2021 collection — florals were sparingly used as prints for men and lace decorated shirts on masculine torsos while formal suit jackets with shirts were paired with tailored shorts.
Craft at the heart of the couture house can be seen in the sculptural tailoring where the bent on the singular buttonhole of suit jackets are deftly curved and on the architectural sculpting of the white shirt.
Notably, the diversity in the casting of the show also sets the tone of the collection where every fashion archetype — tattoo boys, collegiate boys, skater boys, subculture boys — could don any piece to exemplify it transcending categories.
The collection also showcases its spontaneity where the pieces are easily mixed and matched to create a novel outfit, further blurring the lines of daywear and eveningwear.
With the Maison’s codes of using natural materials, the Valentino Spring Summer 2021 collection sees a new collaboration with famed denim house, Levi’s in the 517 boot cut jeans.
Piccioli retains the Levi’s 517 renowned style and pairs it seamlessly with the louche, romantic silhouettes of the suit jackets. The Valentino and Levi’s collaboration jeans will come with a special-designed tag and it would sure to be snapped by fans of both houses.
The modernity of the Valentino Spring Summer 2021 collection remains faithful to the codes set by founder Valentino Garavani without pandering to the current normalcy of “streetwear”. Instead it presents a men’s wardrobe suited (quite literally in some) for the everyday man on the move, without breaking a sweat in style.
Here, the 10 looks to own come next Spring.
If you’ re bored, listless or sick of doing your job, click here to catch up with our September 2020 issue!
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