PARIS--There was a lot to love about Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's spring collection for Valentino: 1) gorgeous red-carpet-worthy lace and sheer gowns, in the usual palette of Valentino-red, black and beige, livened up with floral embroidery done in Jil Sander spring 2011-esque fluorescents; 2) the signature ruffles were there but there was also a fresh new strapless tent silhouette that fell straight away from the body; 3) they made eveningwear look good with flats; 4) there was air conditioning (wha happened, Lanvin?).

The 55-year-old fashion house is hotter than ever. How co-creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli have managed to modernize the brand without forgetting its past.

PARIS--"Pretty" sounds like a reductive descriptor for Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli fall 2011 collection for Valentino, but it's apt. "Pretty" over gorgeous or stunning or any other hyperbolic adjective because the collection was restrained, delicate, feminine, and, well, pretty--right down to the flowers appliqued to the necklines of dresses. A twinkly soundtrack reflected the preciousness of the dresses (less so when an awful version of "Missing" by Everything But the Girl was mixed in).