So Bad It’s Great. Valentino SS27

October 5, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

At first, I found Alessandro Michele’s latest Valentino collection so obnoxiously tacky that I was close to completely dismissing it. But then I went back to it. And again. And again. And I still can’t stop looking. I realised that, with all its va-va-voom, Michele is ferociously fighting the current status quo of fashion: the safer, the better. We are so indoctrinated with ideas of “good taste” that his collection feels like a much-needed danger – a slap on the wrist that shakes you up. The colours are gloriously pop and motley, the silhouettes delightfully old-school, and there’s something very, very enchanting about how profoundly un-modern this collection looks. In a fashion landscape obsessed with restraint, Michele is making a case for excess, awkwardness and sheer visual pleasure. It’s so bad, it’s great.

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Garavani Bow-detailed Gathered Satin-trimmed Wool-crepe Jacket

Valentino Garavani Printed Lace-trimmed Cotton T-shirt

Valentino Garavani Bowow 45 Bow-embellished Velvet Pumps

Valentino. A Grand Italian Epic by Taschen

Valentino Garavani Gold-tone, Crystal, Faux Pearl And Resin Earrings

Valentino Garavani Embellished Satin-trimmed Cropped Cotton-blend Velvet Peplum Top

All collages by Edward Kanarecki.

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Villain Teen. Valentino Resort 2027

June 18, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Valentino and teen-inspired coolness aren’t exactly two concepts you’d expect to find in the same sentence, but Alessandro Michele somehow makes the combination feel entirely natural. The designer has long been fond of punctuating his own eclectic wardrobe with a slogan cap – often sourced from Idea Ltd – and for resort 2027, he decided to bring the trick to Valentino.

The result? His “Villain Teen” caps look surprisingly chic paired with heavily embroidered jackets worn over ripped jeans, floor-sweeping retro dresses, heirloom furs, and all the glorious shoulder-padded excess of 1980s glamorama. You can easily imagine the Valentino girl and boy spending their parents’ money on antiques at Paul Bert Serpette, draped in their grandmother’s jewels, wrapped in bourgeois silk scarves, and indulging in a touch of aristocratic cosplay.

These are modern-day villains, but the kind who know how to have fun. The cap is the crucial ingredient: it stops everything from feeling like costume and makes it read as genuine personal style. Michele has been gradually loosening Valentino’s collar with each outing, and this feels like the most convincing expression of that approach yet. It’s a direction he should continue to pursue.

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Garavani Striped Metallic Knitted Poncho

Valentino Garavani Bow-embellished Ruched Wool Jacket

Valentino Garavani Vlogo Signature Mini Bow-detailed Velvet Shoulder Bag

Valentino Garavani Bowow 45 Bow-embellished Leather Pumps

Valentino Garavani Panthea Small Patchwork Leather And Suede Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Father, I’ve Sinned! Valentino AW26

March 15, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Michele has added spice – and flame – to his Valentino, and it has been working particularly well lately. First came his toned-down, poetic spring collection, the only show of the season that truly approached the dread of a world on the brink of WWIII. Then followed his vivacious sophomore couture collection, presented just over a week after Valentino Garavani’s passing, which made the fashion heavens rave. And now, the autumn–winter 2026 lineup, presented not in the usual Paris but in Rome, the brand’s home, core, hot-red heart.

This was Valentino through and through, yet captured through Michele’s new perspective. It is rich and full, yes, but he somehow manages to express that opulence in a clean, clear way (forget the heaviness of his Gucci days). His clothes no longer look as if they have been pulled straight from a vintage store or a forgotten attic. The dramatic glamour is still there, but it is glitched – awkwardly so – making it far more intriguing.

Bow-tied belts cinched full-length furs; color-blocked pleated tunics; lace dresses with butterfly-wing-shaped skirts. It is Rome, after all, so there is an inherent tension between the ecclesiastical and the regal, and the naughty, decadent, Fellini-esque spirit of the city. These women go to church on Sunday – but they as easily live a full-on, hedonistic “La Grande Bellezza” life (a dialogue Demna attempted to spark with his Gucci runway debut, but, to me, failed miserably). One aspect that could perhaps be reconsidered is the casting. Adding a few more mature faces would make the collection feel even more vivid and charismatic, as some of the barely twenty-year-old models – likely exhausted by the fashion month marathon – appeared somewhat pale.

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Garavani Fetishique 105 Metallic Leather Slingback Sandals

Valentino Garavani Cropped Satin-trimmed Woven Blazer

Valentino Garavani Velvet-trimmed Satin-crepe Maxi Skirt

Valentino Garavani Bowow 25 Suede-trimmed Leopard-print Calf Hair Pumps

Valentino Garavani Bow-embellished Ribbed Cotton-blend And Wool And Silk-blend Crepe Jacket

Valentino Garavani Viva Superstar Medium Leopard-print Calf Hair Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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La Grande Bellezza. Valentino SS26 Couture

January 29, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Alessandro Michele’s second haute couture collection for Valentino is galaxies away from what he showed last year. Out with the heavy; in with the elevating. It’s purely Michele, yet it finally feels like Valentino – meaning la grande bellezza. It was clear the designer felt an added duty to deliver, and to make Garavani smile from fashion heaven. Viewed through the peepholes – or glory holes! – of circular Kaiserpanoramas, the collection became a voyeur’s dream. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Valentino Garavani Bow-embellished Shearling-trimmed Leopard-print Wool Coat

Valentino Garavani Belted Ruffled Embellished Silk-georgette Gown

Valentino Garavani Rockoco Embellished Taffeta-trimmed Suede Pumps

Valentino Garavani Bow-detailed Ruched Wool-crepe Wrap Jacket

Valentino Garavani Velvet-trimmed Satin-crepe Maxi Skirt

Valentino Garavani Fringed Beaded Satin Shoulder Bag

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Cleanse. Valentino Pre-Fall 2026

December 13, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

Remember Alessandro Michele’s debut collection for Gucci – the one created in less than a month? Despite its sumptuous, vintage-inflected richness, it was ultimately minimalist, in much the same way a Pre-Raphaelite painting can be. Now creative director of Valentino for nearly two years, Michele appears to be deliberately moving toward a “less is more” mode, however paradoxical that may sound given his well-known affection for dramatic grandeur.

His poetic spring-summer 2026 collection offered the first indication of this reductionist—yet still deeply romantic – direction, and pre-fall 2026 continues that trajectory. A lilac polka-dot tunic layered over a sheer lace slip, a regal grey cape-coat fastened with a butterfly brooch, and a Valentino-red evening dress stripped of all excess save for a single, incisive drape exemplify this new restraint.

Michele has described this process as a gradual “cleansing” of his relationship with the house, an attempt to find equilibrium between excess and austerity. He has acknowledged that his approach to Valentino’s legacy is deeply personal and, for some, even unsettling, given the unmistakable strength of his hand. Yet he sees the pre-fall lookbook as a moment of convergence between himself and the brand – a space in which he feels markedly more at ease. In his words, it is irreverent and uncomfortable in precisely the right measure, suggesting that he has “disrespected” the house just enough to finally allow it to breathe. Such self-reflection (and self-criticism) is rare among contemporary fashion designers, and Michele’s candour deserves recognition.

The collection’s line-up of Bambi-printed jackets, boudoir-inspired lace separates, and blunt denim miniskirts is sharpened further by his first reinterpretation of Valentino’s “Rockstud” – arguably one of the most divisive shoes in modern fashion. In Michele’s hands, it becomes metal-tipped, ankle-strapped, shaper, and balanced on a pin-thin heel. I remain undecided about the result, but Michele’s work has always demanded time to fully resonate.