Beauty Is Back. Valentino Pre-Fall 2025

As some of you might remember, at first I was very on fence with Alessandro Michele’s debut take at Valentino. It just felt very archaic to me at the time. But something clicked for me the moment Donald Trump won the elections in the U.S. (here’s the post on that). I suddenly realized I need escapism. A sweet, decadent, indulgent escapism – exactly what Michele is known for through his unhinged vision he channeled at Gucci (with Gucci’s ready-to-wear limits) and now at Valentino, where he’s got the ultimate couture know-how.

This week, Alessandro’s third act for the Rome-based brand got released, and it’s his best one so far. I really liked how Lyas described it as “punk”. It really is punk whilst pretty much everything in fashion right now is pure conservatism, from bland “quiet luxury” minimalism to “office-core” – on the way of trad-wives and white-cube ad campaigns. Michele’s vision couldn’t be further from all that. It’s full-throttle boheme, striking with artisanship and well-traveled, idiosyncratic approach to styling.

His Valentino is of course very vintage-y. Now you might say I’m a hypocrite – I just shaded the Anthony Vaccarello’s nostalgic Saint Laurent collection. But here’s the thing: while you can trace Vaccarello’s vintage-obsession to exact, well-documented references, in case of Michele it’s totally not the case. Alessandro’s history-mania has echoes of Diana Vreeland’s “the eye has to travel” way of thinking. He takes from the past, remixes it, and recontextualizes it. Plus, it’s really striking to see how he not only is inspired with 1970s and 80s fashion (and Valentino Garavani’s work from that period), but also does his best to measure up to the craftsmanship standards of these times.

The pre-fall 2025 collection is transfixingly beautiful and dreamily opulent. The silk dresses are made out of patches of prints, from robust paisley to wallpaper florals; the lace is so intricate it looks like porcelain, and the lush, dense embroideries on velvet jackets and big-sleeved, peasant blouses is beyond. And I went completely crazy for the bags, especially the fringed, knitted pouches. Bode looks kind of poor next to these works of art. New Valentino is heirloom-status fashion. If this is what the label’s ready-to-wear looks like in Alessandro’s hands, I can’t wait for his first haute couture outing.

Unabashed beauty is so back, baby!