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Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2009

Can I be any more of a Facchinetti/Valtentino fangurl?

For the first time, Alessandra Facchinetti seemed less reverential and willing to experiment and step outside the Valentino house iconography. This is her first haute couture collection, but she has had a year to cut her teeth on resort and ready-to-wear and this collection showed that she was certainly ready to step out of the shadow of Valentino’s retirement.

Like a kid in the atelier candystore, she played with shape, texture, and for the first time, took Valentino in a very personal direction. Red dresses still made an appearance, but it was a more subtle nod to the past than in previous collections.

Where her previous collections were a bit of an homage to the departing master, this haute couture collection seemed totally Faccinetti.

Valentino purists will have to get used to the New Jack, but I love the way she’s shaking up the house a bit while still giving us the feminine shapes.

Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2009

Alessandra Facchinetti’s first Valentino collection at Paris Fashion Week

A designer’s first collection after the departure of the house’s originator always draws the rubberneckers waiting to see the young upstart fly or fall. It happened when Yves Saint Laurent took over for Christian Dior in 1957, again when Tom Ford took over at YSL in ‘99, and now as Alessandra Faccinetti takes over for Valentino, the hawk-like eyes of the fashion world are upon her.

Would there be pieces to satisfy both the ladies who lunch and the pretty young things?

Would there be any red carpet worthy gowns?

Would she dabble in Valentino iconography and attempt a red dress?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Her color palette? Muted. Midnight blues, creamy silks, rich oatmeal cashmere — all chicly over black tights.

I loved the cut of her coats. You could choose from a beige cropped coat with a high collar that buttoned on the shoulder and left a V cutout in the front or a more voluminous brown coat with arm cutouts or a simple black coat over a frothy pink dress that spilled out of the neckline and peeked out at the knee.

Facchinetti’s skill is in soft, almost unnoticed details — the belts that nipped in the waist of delicate dresses, the ruffled pleating that gave a modern turn to a filmy, chiffon blouse.

Look, this isn’t Valentino’s Valentino. Alessandra Faccinetti  ushers in a new era and it will be interesting to see how a female designer uses her influence and puts her fingerprint on the Valentino woman.

Final Valentino haute couture runway show S/S ‘08

Your final haute couture show is never the time for reservations and Valentino pulled out all the stops for his final final bow. There were day suits for the ladies who lunch, party frocks for the cocktail set, evening gowns for the red carpet mavens, and something for everyone who has ever been a fan or a follower.

These classic feminine looks were every bit Valentino, but amped up to the nth degree. Floral explosions covered dresses in long lengths and knee skimming mini looks. Even the classic LBD was there but made special with a sequins and circlet appliqués. My favorite looks, however, were the wedding whites. Chanel Iman’s spaghetti-strapped gown with tiers of lace on top of lace looked stunning and I loved the crystal embellishments of this shirt-dress styled gown.

Just before Valentino’s final bow, a line of models filed out, each wearing one of Valentino’s signature red dresses.

Valentino did not go softly into the night and his exit isn’t one that will go unnoticed. He’s been lauded by fashion critics, celebrated by his peers, and applauded by fans. However the next page in Valentino history reads, Valentino Garavani has left the house with a rich legacy of inspiration to draw upon.

Fade to black.

Lucy Liu in Valentino

Lucy Liu wore a black Valentino gown off the Spring runway to the Accessories Council Excellence Awards in NYC. Also in attendance were Jessica Simpson and Debra Norville who showed up in THE SAME Michael Kors dress (*gasp*), and model mommy Heidi Klum.

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.

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.

Valentino’s last hurrah produced designs so sick they made my stomach flutter.

Was this the best collection of Paris Fashion Week? Yes, yes it was.