By Gracia Phang - published
There’s no denying that Pierpaolo Piccioli does colours really well. His designs and colour combinations make you want to get out of your comfort zone of neutral hues and wardrobe basics. For Valentino’s fall/winter 2024 collection, however, Piccioli brought forth a new proposition.
Le Noir was, as its name suggests, an all-black collection. But instead of looking at the colour (or non-colour) as something we all tend to fall back on, whether to blend in, or to focus on other things, Piccioli treated darkness as a vessel to bring light through. He played with textures, fabric manipulation and other elements, bringing our attention to every detail. Read on as we deep dive through our favourite looks.
Related Article: The Glory Of Glamour At Paris Couture
Look 28
It’s been raining this season at Paris Fashion Week, and this coat reminds us of a showers on a rainy day. Covered in sequins, then gradually trickling down to stalactite-shaped embellishments towards the hem, the coat caught and reflected light with every move the model made. Despite the dark palette, this boxy coat shone bright like the stars in the night sky.
Look 32
Like flowers pieced together, the sweater revealed cheeky peeks of skin underneath, lending a mysterious touch. It was accompanied by a skirt with the same concept, but made of a much lighter, more sheer fabric.
Related Article: Jenna Ortega’s Style Evolution Through The Years
Look 50
Imagine this: walking through a dreamy, dense forest, and eventually finding the light at the very edge where the sky meets the earth—this look is what that must feel like.
Beautifully embroidered and beaded both on the longline coat and the slip worn beneath, this ensemble lends an alluring perspective of light and dark, day and night.
Look 54
Sure, fashion tapes and whatnots are needed for this velvet number; but the way the silhouette hints at the shape of the body with each sway, without revealing all that much, is truly something. The V-neck is expertly cut past, yet angled slightly away from, the naval, while the skirt’s slit starts just above the upper thigh. The two points do not meet, but are joined together with pleats anchored firmly around the hip for a drop-waist effect.
Look 52
Once again, with the pleats. This time, luxurious silk is seemingly wrung around the body; the waist in particular, and released towards the hip into a glorious flow of fabric down to the ground—rather like that of a body of water rushing through a river, bending around meanders, and finally into the ocean.
While Pierpaolo Piccioli used an entirely see-through fabric, the pleats concealed and revealed as needed, playing on strength and fragility all the same.
Related Article: Singaporean Artist Sarah Choo Jing Explores Femininity And Humanity With Valentino-Commissioned ‘Gestures Of Affection’
Look 63
Last but not least, the final look of Valentino fall/winter 2024 is a cape-and-trouser combination—though it is not as simple as it sounds.
The cape, worn as a top sans underpinnings, is made of a delicate mesh fabric, sprinkled with tiny baubles made out of a darker, sheer fabric. The look is anchored by a pair of tailored trousers and accessorised with leather opera gloves. The lightest fabric and the heaviest come together for a poetic wrap-up of the collection, all in the name of Le Noir.
