Alessandro Michele just reminded us why we love fashion at his Spring/Summer 2025 show for Maison Valentino. Bringing his familiar style of excess and opulence to the runway in Paris, Michele revealed in his first show for the house a collection that was intricate, delicate, and maximalist, reviving Valentino’s archives whilst bringing his own personal touch.
Hosted at the Pavillon des Folies, the show was set on a floor of cracked glass designed by artist Alfredo Pirri where models traversed a labyrinth made from cloth covered furniture, reminiscent of the inside of a dilapidated but atmospheric mansion. In his show notes, Michele wrote, “We tiptoe on mirrors that shatter under our weight,” revealing that the cracked flooring is symbolic; it's meant to represent the beauty of life through our own impact, no matter how small or unintentional.
Whilst the collection itself undeniably had a “Michele” flair to it, its air of familiarity was also in part because the house’s new Creative Director did his research: as a result, Valentino’s SS25 collection was an ode to the archives. Alessandro Michele applied his infamous maximalism to the house’s codes, referencing past collections and motifs that Valentino Garavani himself instated at the brand.
The first look on the runway was a slim, monochromatic dress paired with bright coloured tights in the iconic “Valentino Rosso” shade, which popped against the rest of the look. Whilst Valentino Garavani is best known for his monochrome or bicolour palettes, Michele isn’t one to be restricted to a minimal colour scheme. So instead of following that route, he paid homage to Valentino’s infamous “Valentino Rosso” whilst also incorporating royal blues, forest greens, glittering lilacs, ruby reds, mustard yellows, and many more hues within the collection.
Valentino’s renowned appreciation of tailoring, famously seen in the stiffly structured, broad-shouldered jackets of the house’s collections in the ‘80s, was also evident in many of Michele’s looks from patterned pant-suits adorned with bows to shoulder-padded blazers left open. Similarly, Valentino was known for pulling inspiration from different eras, from the slim silhouettes of the 1930s to the ball gowns and cocktail dresses of the 1950s, and this much was also seen throughout SS25, in a mixture of ‘70s-style prints, lace slips, and drop-waist dresses in glittering sequins.
Michele also referenced Valentino Garavani’s love of peasant-style silhouettes, seen in puff-sleeves, prairie-style gowns, off-the-shoulder flounces, petticoats, and excessive layering. And likewise, whilst the excess of diamonds, lace, and glamour on Valentino’s SS25 runway might have felt like more of Michele touch than that of the brand, back in the 1970s, Valentino came under fire for his apparent encouragement of conspicuous consumption, seen in the opulent designs he put on the runway. This is in part why Alessandro Michele makes so much sense as Valentino’s new Creative Director: both designers believe in drama.
The house’s infamous “V” logo was littered throughout the collection, seen as glints of gold detailing on leather bags and glasses, an homage to the brand’s heritage. And Michele even paid homage to Valentino’s line of designer jeans, revealing in 1985, through some more understated denim looks that contrasted with the couture-style drama of the rest of the collection. According to journalist Susie Lau, as the show ended “every celebrity going up to Alessandro Michele to congratulate him, was saying “Thank you, we needed this!”” And she’s right: we all needed this.
In Alessandro Michele’s first collection for Maison Valentino, it felt like every model had been styled as a character, and every character had a unique persona, portrayed through their clothing. From the flawless glamour of shimmering slips paired with lace gloves and feather-adorned hats to the quirky formality of printed tailored suits worn with turbans, the characters portrayed on Valentino’s runway were vibrant and real. To summarise, Michele’s runway debut at Valentino wasn’t just clothing; it’s a lifestyle.
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