"Pink is the colour of love, community, energy and freedom," wrote Valentino on Instagram just hours before its AW22 show in Le Carreau du Temple, a covered market in Paris’ 3rd arrondissement, on Sunday afternoon.
Guests, among them Lewis Hamilton, Vanessa Hudgens and Vanessa Kirby, entering the space were greeted by fuchsia covering floors and walls to dramatic effect.
“It was a hard week, it is a hard moment. We reacted the only way we know, by working. We reacted, not allowing to get paralysed by the fear of war,” said Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli on the loudspeaker before the show started. “Trying to remember that the privilege of our freedom is now bigger than ever. Our thoughts go to those who are suffering. We see you, we feel you and we love you. Because love is the answer, always.”
And certainly, as Yazoo’s Only You began blasting lyrics “All I needed was the love you gave, all I needed for another day” and models hit the runway in a smorgasbord of head-to-toe hot pink looks, the air felt full of love.
With his single-hued focus, Piccioli intended, he said, to remove the shock of shocking pink and instead allow us to focus on silhouettes, fabrics, decoration and the people that wore them; to do more with less. To get the deep pink color, the house collaborated with Pantone Color Institute to create the custom individual pink shade.
It then covered everything from oversized tailoring, cinched waist sculptural mini dresses, sequin tracksuits, wide leg jumpsuits and opera gloves. New iterations of Valentino’s cult platforms came in the sizzling shade alongside supersize versions of the studded bags, plus fuchsia menswear in loose-fit silhouettes.
Euphoria star Zendaya, the new face of the Maison, certainly got the memo: she she sat front row in head-to-toe hot pink suit, shirt and platforms.
