Valentino RESORT 2027 - Lookbook

 

(Images: Valentino 2026)  

Alessandro Michele’s uniquely stylized, whimsical aesthetics, with all his Gucci-esque charm, after guiding the iconic Italian brand name for 8 years, being ousted in 2022, and landing a creative direction at Valentino, all the while Pierpaolo Piccioli  was shifted to Balenciaga, and Demna Gvasalia took Gucci, the cologemerate three card monte, of all three creative directors has now, kinda, settled itself down into their perspective brand names.  With Michele, toning out, gently his more eclectic stylizations.

And it is Michele’s, couture thrift, even though the upcycling, thrifting styles of the early to mid 2017s faded out on the runway, maintains a more polished presence under the Valentino guise.  Showcasing how masterful Michele is as a fashion designer. Yet, when timelines break, or are forced to shift around under corporate guidance, so does the creative continuity and Michele could be under a slight strain here to combine all the elements that made him special as a designer within the sleekness of Valentino template.  Maybe, he is up to the challenge, however, time will tell.

For his Resort 20267 collection, the youthful flows, of that possible post 1980s Gen Xers 'coolness'. when they hit that sweet spot of 1990 through to 1994, before they all became feigned conservatives (either way), and ended up mortgage obsessed middle class and voted for Trump (yes, I am being sarcastic here), hold an "what if" reflection, that Gen X could have ended up being cool, rather than lame as they are today, be it drawing from their parents counterculture ethos, not backlashing it.  And we could have all admired what they once were, and even be inspired by those aesthetics.  Of course, this is just a fantasy.  

So, Michele’s parallel universe, wishful representation of youthful timelines of the last 30 years, can still put a smile on your face, and possibly, as mentioned, inspire a creative exuberance, with or without a nod of approval from the digital world, which, as we all know, is sucking everyones creativity dry.

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(A.Glass 2026)