Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli whole-heartedly committed to bright, bold, and playful pink for his latest assortment at Paris Fashion Week. And the face of the Italian Maison, Zendaya, sat front and center in an ensemble from the collection, matching the models in the highlighter hue.
A thousand references buzzed through my mind at first glance of Valentino’s monochromatic bubblegum pink Fall/Winter 2022 collection. Of course, there’s Mean Girls’ “On Wednesdays, we wear pink” line, there’s the Legally Blonde quote, “Whoever said orange was the new pink, was seriously disturbed,” Funny Face’s “Think Pink!” musical number, and of course the 1986 Molly Ringwald classic Pretty in Pink. Pink has certainly pervaded the pop culture zeitgeist, and this assortment in sizzling hot pink brings them all to mind.
Shown at Paris’s Carreau du Temple, Piccioli worked alongside the Pantone Color Institute to develop the blindingly bright color. While many designers have showcased monochromatic collections in the past to place a spotlight on the intricate craftsmanship and attention to detail on the garments, few have ventured into a hue this bold.
Canadian artist, designer, and novelist Douglas Coupland created an exclusive Valentino collectible invitation booklet, with phrases such as “Modernity is eternal,” “Beauty can be earned,” and “I miss my pre-internet brain” spelled out in…yes, you guessed it, pink.
Dubbed the “Pink PP” collection for Piccioli’s initials, the only exceptions to his cotton-candy colored vision were a handful of black pieces to break up the high-octane palette. Maintaining the house’ signature design codes, sheer fabrications, luxurious lace, cascading chiffon, sequined florals, sculptural silhouettes with jaw-dropping cutouts, sky-high platforms, opera gloves, and the Roman Stud embellished handbags completed the collection.
With a runway brigade of fresh faces and legendary models, Adut Akech and Mariacarla Boscono walked down the runway while iconic ’60s model Penelope Tree graced the catwalk, and Kristen McMenamy closed the show in typical theatrical fashion.
