Who would have thought that one day, one would see Edgar Allan Poe‘s face printed on a Valentino garment? This was actually the work of Jun Takahashi, the designer behind Undercover, as part of his collaboration with Pierpaolo Piccioli. In his Fall 2019 Menswear show, Piccioli stressed that despite the growing trend of tailoring nowadays, he’s still keen on integrating sportswear into his ready-to-wear lines for the haute couture label. “To me, Valentino is a couture house, but to be relevant today, it has to be more inclusive and open to new opportunities. That’s my idea, always.” he shared. But even at his sportiest, the Valentino man still came out looking as refined as ever. Firstly, the array of Poe-printed streetwear pieces were novel and precise, adding color to the neutral-toned array of outerwear that dominated the show. The silhouettes, however, remained long and sharp, evoking more of the old-school sophistication with only a hint of contemporary sportiness. The knitted pieces were a comforting touch and further pushed this easy narrative to the forefront, even against the more strictly tailored ensembles. Based on this show, the industry will just have to face the fact that sportswear has had a big dent to high fashion, and only the likes of Piccioli (and Takahashi) know how to perfectly come up with an interesting hybrid to please all parties concerned!
Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com
