As the absolute power of the State was called into question during the Age of Enlightenment, “citizen’s dress” became a mainstay of fashion at the time. Gone were cumbersome hoop skirts, petticoats, and exaggerated bumrolls. In their place stood sleeker silhouettes that rested their conservative laurels on a simplified thesis.

Valentino Couture sought to recapture these values of reason and substance in their Spring show. Valentino designer, Pier Paolo Piccioli, stated "Couture is a real value. It's not superficial." This elegant, stately collection underscores the point that fashion is for everyone – from high courtesans to everyday citizens and it is in the fine-ness of dress and outward appearance that we are able to reflect inner reason and values.

With Marie Antoinette as a touchstone, we are able to see the transition from high fashion to substantive fashion more clearly. Antoinette’s dramatic ensembles were reduced to the bare essentials necessary for spring living on her small farm estate on the Versaille grounds. This is the version of Antoinette that is imbued in this collection – the Antoinette that braided her children’s hair under the shade of a chestnut tree and tied wreath’s ‘round the necks of baby lambs. As such, the show was comprised of high-necked “ruff” collar dresses that swept along the floor of the runway, which came in a variety of delicate pastels and floral wallpaper prints. Sheer, airy bishop sleeves added a soft dimension to stately gowns, while later looks shimmered with prismatic paillette scales. A nostalgic sweetness swept through this understated show. With hands demurely tucked in pockets, the models looked every inch the 18th century children of the spring that they were meant to be. Gone, however, was the signature Valentino red. This collection is a clear statement from Piccioli and Chiuri that they’re taking the brand in an entirely new and more thought-provoking direction.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway