It’s rare that guests are given marching orders ahead of a runway. But for Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2027 show, Alessandro Michele tasked attendees to bring a book to the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève. And bring they did. Ahead of the show, A-listers submitted their goods to a large glass donation container: Colman Domingo brought Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking (“which is a very necessary book,” he said in a video for Vogue), Cynthia Erivo arrived with Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin, Zoey Deutch opted for The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert.
According to show notes, the stack of donated books that have yet to be read were meant to align with the theme of the antilibrary or “a tangible presence of what we do not yet know.” Drawing parallels to fashion, Michele explains that “every season garments are conceived and created to meet very different trajectories. Some of them will cross the space of the show only once. Others will stay alive in the images that hold their fleeting appearance, while others will enter the wardrobes to remain almost untouched, like cherished relics.” However they are used, these garments “serve to expand the realm of the imaginable.”
Tapping into this notion of imagination, Michele’s latest installment for the Italian maison read at once whimsical and rife with possibility. The creative director’s penchant for romantic, eclectic maximalism was alive and well in the mix-and-match corset and skirt pairings that kicked off the 80-look procession. A lime green lace peplum top with a coordinating lavender pencil skirt. Marigold satin with baby pink organza tulip style. Cobalt blue with a tapestry-like feathered floral midi. Indeed, the options and paths of personal style — like that of books — are meant to be endless and dependent on the owner.
The plot thickened as the collection unfurled, revealing more drama and twists and turns in the form of sheer mesh evening gowns with voluminous neon taffeta bustles trailing in the back (with completely transparent bodices that left very little to the imagination). Balloon pants set in intricate shimmering pinstripes and candy-colored plaid. Pleated, fan-like detailing was sprinkled throughout the collection, on strapless tops that resembled floral bouquets, as well as on the sculptural tops of color-blocked floor-length dresses.
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Even accessories told a story. Extravagant layered gold necklaces covered in colored gems and heart-shaped embellishments served as the main character in an ensemble, as did the embellished knee-high boots that are sure to be a hot ticket item in the coming months.
Ahead, highlights from the epic spring tale Valentino is telling for spring.
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