Photo: ImaxTree

Valentino
Designers: Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli

• “Delicacy, nature, architecture and timeless, effortless beauty.Those words describe one of the most sumptuous displays seen this season—courtesy of Valentino.” [The Associated Press]
• “For a seasonal shot of Valentino red, look no further than a superb caped shift for an insta-update to the house’s staple skirtsuits. Bien fait, darlings.” [Daily Front Row]
• “This was the standout show of the week; workmanship to swoon and sigh over, and clothes you actually want—scratch that, would love—to wear.” [The Daily Telegraph]
• “In a season dominated by nature and, in particular, gardens, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s interpretation of the theme for Valentino haute couture was among the most beautiful.” [Grazia Daily]
• “The last word on botanical beauty was whisper quiet. Valentino ended the summer 2013 shows on Wednesday with a collection of intense handwork and subtle restraint.” [International Herald Tribune]
• “‘Really, we didn’t call Karl and Raf,’ Pierpaolo Piccioli, who, with Maria Grazia Chiuri, designs Valentino, said with a laugh. It would be O.K. if they had, since the Valentino clothes owed their pure lines and filigree embroidery to garden architecture — mazes, terraces, curling ironwork—from the Renaissance. Traced in piping on a cream evening cape or embossed on the stiff skirt of a wool day dress, these patterns are gutsy.” [The New York Times]
• “Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli threw down a gauntlet with the ravishing Couture collection they showed for Valentino tonight. We all knew that beauty like this came at an exalted dollars-and-cents price. But the duo enumerated the human cost in the show notes that sat on everyone’s seats.” [Style.com]
• “The exquisite Valentino show was a fitting end to the couture season; a joyous celebration of the infinite possibilities of the unfettered imagination and of craftsmanship—craftsmanship that in this house sometimes borders on the miraculous.” [Vogue.com]
• “A poignant moment occurred at the end of the Valentino couture show this evening as Mr. Valentino himself stood up to kiss and congratulate Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, the co-designers of the famed label for the past five years, on their show. Now that’s praise indeed.” [Vogue.com UK]
• “Gardens are glorious, and the Roman duo nourished their theme with a distinctive Italian touch, from the spaghetti-like embroideries coiled on coats and dresses—echoing the curlicues on fancy metal gates and grills—to the imposing line of coronation robes that they built into minimalist gowns, a nod to the royals depicted in paintings by Italian masters.” [WWD]