Valentino’s Final Bow — Paris Spring 2008

10.11.2007 by Monique Niccole in Paris Fashion Week, RTW Spring 2008

Valentino’s final collection Paris Spring 2008

I know you’ve been wondering: what about the Valentino show? I wanted to keep Valentino as my final Paris post (the final commentary of the season in fact) to give it the proper weight it deserves.

After 45 years in fashion, 75 year old designer, Valentino Garavani has finally hung up his needle and thread. Next season, the critical eye of the fashion world will be turned to Alessandra Facchinetti (formerly of Gucci) as she takes over design duties for the house.

Valentino’s final prêt-à-porter collection was a look forward as much as it was a look back. The multitude of white dresses were a nod to his “no color” collection of dresses in every shade of white and of course the red gowns were a Valentino classic that were a reminiscence of every iconic red dress he has ever created.

Red dress at Valentino Spring 2008

And still others were new, new, new. Valentino himself might be 75 years old, but this collection was very young. He mixed pink and purple to create dresses in short and long form that were elegant in cut but playful in color. He made big polka dots seem unbearably chic in a black and white polkadot cigarette pant and a gauzy seafoam dress with white polkadots. I loved the pieces that featured accordioned accents like the floor-length café au lait gown with twin layers of accordion pleating around the shoulders.