Valentino

If there was ever to be a formal men’s couture fashion show, then Maria Grazia Chuiri and Pier Paolo Piccioli’s fall 2013/14 collection for Valentino shown at the Hôtel de Rothschild–the same locale where they have been showing the women’s couture–would surely qualify.

It was a collection of precise British tailoring–slim fit suits in plaids and houndstooth checks–with a hint of sensuality runing throughout.

The opulence of the Rothschild salons finally found its match in this gentlemanly show.

The designers distilled their design concept down to the most basic framework of men’s fashion–that of draping cloths to create a slim silhouette around the body. You could see the anterior thigh muscle of a model as he walked by, his pants were so tight.

But however elegant the clothes were, there were some essential sportswear elements mixed in, like a khaki wool pea coat or a short belted rain coat done.

If one could find fault in this collection, it would be the designers’ intense focus solely on the dressy aspect of a man’s wardrobe. In future collections, there will be plenty of opportunities to build up the sportwear.