Valentino Made It Rain Rose Petals At Its Pre-Fall 2019 Show In Tokyo
Kaia Gerber and Adut Akech closed the stunning runway show
Photo: WWD/ REX/ Shutterstock
Valentino Pre-Fall 2019
Valentino has long mastered the art of breathtaking runway moments and today's Pre-Fall 2019 show in Tokyo, Japan was no exception. For the fashion house's first show in Tokyo, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli delivered a stunning runway full of red tulle gowns and designs celebrating Japanese culture.
The show both started and ended with a lineup of all red looks ranging from romanticized tulle to suiting and floral silk dye prints. Kaia Gerber and Adut Akech closed the runway in coordinating ruffle tulle gowns.
Related article: Watch The Valentino Pre-Fall 2019 Runway Show Live From Tokyo!
Photo: WWD/ REX/ Shutterstock
Kaia Gerber and Adut Akech at Valentino Pre-Fall 2019
As if the parade of looks done in the fashion house's signature hue wasn't stunning enough, the finale saw a storm of red rose petals falling from the ceiling as models walked the runway in color coordinating looks.
Models lined up along the runway as petals fell from above while a pianist and string band played in the background—making for a beautiful moment.
Related article: Paris Fashion Week: 10 Best Looks From Valentino Spring/ Summer 2019
But the Pre-Fall '19 collection delved deeper than just pretty gowns. Piccioli looked to the culture of Japan to inspire the 90-look show. Namely, the creative director was inspired by wabi-sabi—a Japanese aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The concept was translated into asymmetrical silhouettes, ruffles, and reimagined Valentino floral prints crushed into red and black silk dye.
Photo: WWD/ REX/ Shutterstock
Kaia Gerber at Valentino Pre-Fall 2019
"The iconography of the Maison—the ruffles, the lace, the grace, and then the flowers, the colors, the motifs—is interpreted in a wabi sabi key," the brand wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Adut Akech on the runway.
Related article: Just In! Kaia Gerber Is The 17-Year-Old Face Of YSL Beauty
The end result was a collection that remained true to Valentino's aesthetic while paying homage to Japanese culture—something other fashion brands could learn from when staging their runways in other countries.
This article originally appeared on Harper's Bazaar US.