VALENTINO’S CHOICE: As the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep over Europe and countries reinforce temporary restrictions to curb it, the house of Valentino said Monday that its couture collection, called Code Temporal, will be revealed digitally on Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. CET.

It will consist of a presentation conceived by creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli in a dialogue with British artist, musician, singer and songwriter Robert Del Naja, also known as 3D, and founding member of the band Massive Attack.

Piccioli selected Galleria Colonna, Sala Grande, in Rome, to highlight Valentino’s couture collection. The Baroque Palazzo Colonna dates back to the 14th century.

As an added asset, Valentino will present a film created by Del Naja. The artist filmed some of the steps involved in developing the couture collection and these clips were processed and edited by a machine that runs a series of algorithms created by Del Naja and his collaborative partner, neural artist Mario Klingemann.

To present Valentino’s fall 2020 couture collection, Piccioli in July staged a live performance at Cinecittà Studios outside Rome enlisting London-based fashion photographer, filmmaker and digital pioneer Nick Knight.

The designer created 15 white gowns as tall as 16 feet, worn by models ranging from Mariacarla Boscono to Vittoria Ceretti, perched on swings suspended from the ceiling or installed on towering, hidden platforms.

The house is one of several brands that have revealed the format of their presentations this season due to the ongoing restrictions. According to the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, couture week is slated to run Jan. 25 to 28.

Earlier this month, Giorgio Armani said he had decided to stage his Armani Privé runway show without an audience.

The designer, who skipped his regular show during Paris Couture Week in July, had initially planned to hold the Armani Privé show in his headquarters on Via Borgonuovo in Milan on Jan. 26.

Instead, the runway display will take place at 7 p.m. CET that day and be livestreamed on the brand’s social media channels as part of Paris Couture Week calendar. Armani said in May last year that he planned to show a seasonless collection, including outfits suitable for winter as well as lighter pieces for summer.

The Jean Paul Gaultier maison has opted to sit out this month’s couture week and “celebrate this event during safer and happier times.”

The Gaultier show was originally penciled in for Jan. 27 and was to feature a one-off couture collection created by Sacai’s Chitose Abe — the first of a series of guest creatives following the founder’s retirement from the runway in January 2020.

 

Originally posted on “WWD” by Luisa Zargani