EXCLUSIVE: Even Valentino Knows, Nothing Beats the Essentials
Valentino is no stranger to bright voluminous gowns, dramatic headwear, and towering heels. But for its latest drop, the Italian maison is heading back to the basics.
I mean, it's rare to catch creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli without his uniform: a black tee, black pants, and black shoes. Oh, and maybe a black hoodie if it's a little chilly.
It should be no surprise that the king of covert staples is releasing a collection of luxe mainstays for the house, naturally and simply titled "Maison Valentino Essentials."
As the name suggests, Maison Valentino Essentials materializes as an offering of roomy jackets, pajama-esque shirts, loose trousers, and oversized jackets.
For Piccioli, Maison Valentino Essentials goes beyond its surface-level appearance as another offering of elevated staples. Instead, it mirrors the times — a "selection and reflection", as Piccioli calls it, down to the AI-generated campaign shown below.
There's undoubtedly been a shift in womenswear and menswear in the past few years. Given the global pandemic and society's all-embracing norms, brands began introducing more co-ed shows, unisex lines, and diversified rosters featuring non-identifying models.
In short, the new rules are there are no rules. Do you and wear what you want!
"With Maison Valentino Essentials, I want to bring together the items like a pajama, tailoring, and something from couture," Piccioli told Highsnobiety. "To me, these spirits that connect give the idea of a man today, which is more about individuality and diversity — not rules, roles, social appearance, but a personal expression."
At the core of Maison Valentino Essentials is a meeting of Valentino's renowned couture, meticulous tailoring, streetwear elements, and practicality.
Tailoring adds fluidity to garments rather than molding them to body — design codes which Piccioli believes adds a new sense of expression and attitude to the pieces.
For the color palette — yep, black is in there — Piccioli makes a point to include the famed Valentino Pink PP shade, a "couture color" which assists in bestowing a "new meaning" to the collection's garments.
"The idea of Maison Valentino Essentials is an idea of a core that can be explored and exploded in different ways and through different looks and silhouettes," Piccioli said.
"That's why I wanted to use pink in the collection because it's a color that had the most different perception and meanings during the centuries."
The Maison Valentino Essentials collection encapsulates the core of wardrobe basics — versatility, understatement, and, most importantly, timelessness (it's the qualities that makes them bangers). Indeed, don't expect any VLogomania this go-around.
Through its forthcoming drop — approved by BTS' resident Valentino fan Suga, releasing in-store at Maxfield starting January 12, and dropping on Valentino's website in February — informs a new era for the Valentino muse — with the wardrobe to match.
"We cannot be only street, only couture, only tailoring because that doesn't give a picture of this moment to me. To me, the moment is the melting of those things,' Piccioli continued. "Maison Valentino Essentials is important because it's a new way of thinking of men's wardrobe and, thus, the people's wardrobe."
