Be my Valentino

When we vacationed in Italy last year we happened to browse in a Valentino store. Valentino is such a storied brand I always thought it was more my mother’s kind of thing, so no one was more surprised than I was when I found myself looking more and more seriously through the racks and loving what I saw — drop-dead glamorous clothes that women of all ages could wear, and feel like modern-day royalty.

It was the same with the accessories. Valentino’s Rosier bag is quite possibly the most beautiful bag I’ve ever seen, covered as it is in silk rosettes of varying colors. If flowers brighten your day, then the Rosier will make you perennially happy, like an everlasting bouquet you can tote around.

Valentino’s confections were so exquisite they sort of spoiled me for anything else on that trip. Fast fashion lost its luster by comparison; despite the appealing prices, the clothes looked like the rags Cinderella wore before her fairy godmother touched them with a magic wand.

Now that designer Valentino Garavani himself has retired you wonder how his house can keep churning out the magical dreams he spun with such aplomb, but Valentino’s latest spring/summer 2013 collection proves that designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli possess that same charmed touch.

Looking to Rome and their roots for inspiration, specifically the Cinecitta studio films of Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio de Sica, the collection has a subtle ’40s flair, modernized for today’s young women with edgy accessories. Valentino’s signature lace is combined with metallic studs — a ladylike-meets-punk rock look.

The white lace dresses are almost bridal in their purity, but I love Valentino best when we’re talking about his rich, saturated colors. There’s the classic Valentino red, of course, which seems to suit every skin tone (the house should put out its own red lipstick), but there’s also a cutout lace dress in jade green that pops beautifully against the skin.

Valentino’s feminine mainstays of bows, ruffles, yokes and lace have disappeared in favor of color and textured lace overlays. The flowing silhouette reveals the figure but doesn’t hug it tightly, staying true to the designers’ credo of “suggestion is seduction.” Hems fall below the knee or reach the floor. Masculine and feminine blend on blouses and dresses covered with tiny beading. Layered elements are surprisingly light: an organza dress conceals an embroidered slip, for instance, while a lace suit lies over a tulle base. Chiffon tops are as easy to wear as T-shirts.

Fabrics are luxurious — Mikado silk, georgette, bobbin lace and embroidered brocade — while the color palette is joyous and (there’s that word again) saturated: yellow, apple green, bubblegum pink and red.

Accessories include open-toe sling backs, transparent Mary Janes with Plexiglas wedge heels and transparent minaudieres in colorful tones.

The new iconic bags have to be the Rockstud, VaVaVoom and Lock, with their punk elements, as well as the Rosier, which is a work of art.

New features include tiny metal squares trimming shoulder bags, cross-bags, messenger bags, and decorating the ankle strap on pumps. Transparent PVC inserts form sexy shapes on the instep of kitten-heel pumps. Men’s-style loafers, Rockstud flip-flops, and lace espadrilles add some interesting contradictions, maybe because contrast is the essence of contemporary style. Still, despite all the modern touches, superb artisan craftsmanship remains the essence of the Valentino world.

On the red carpet, Hollywood A-listers such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston know that if you want to stand out from the crowd and look like a queen, Valentino is the way to go. Paltrow wore a hot-pink gown with sheer horizontal stripe to the recent Met Gala, while Aniston did her usual strapless thing in the designer’s emblematic red at this year’s Oscars.

At the recent Cannes film festival, Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldana were both gorgeous and regal in Valentino’s lace creations on the red carpet. Now more than ever, Valentino is having its moment.

* * *

Valentino is available only at Adora on the 2/F of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati.