the other shoe may have dropped.
after days of speculation, wwd announced today that alessandra facchinetti’s spring collection for valentino would be her last. long time accessories designers maria grazia chiuri and pier paolo piccioli will take over as head of design, although the decision still needs to be approved by the board. it would be another sad ending for facchinetti, who endured harsh criticism and a swift departure from gucci, where ironically she was replaced by another accessories designer. it’s sad not only because the ousting was so public (again), but in this case, she was really not given the chance to grow and flex her muscles. her aesthetic was clearly more valentino that gucci, and if this was her swan song, she showed why she was a great fit for the house.
the collection was full of girly detailing like floral embroidery and metallic trims mixed in with cool rope details, which showed up as chokers, belts and on jackets. there were lovely short suits, longer jewel neck jackets over short skirts, sheer t-shirts paired with long printed silk skirts, elegant shifts, and contrast waist bias dresses. for evening, gowns had bodices with cool circular embroidery, one shoulder with pleated bodices, easy silk long t-shirt dresses, and elegant transparent silk with beaded arms. the color palette was equally sophisticated–pretty nudes, pale yellow, periwinkle and dove grey were mixed with a few bold brights (and valentino red), ivory, and black.
so what happens now? it’s hard to say. no official announcement has come from the house, and ceo stefano sassi would only say, “we will make the situation clear very shortly.” in a time when the economy is reeling, she presented a collection that may have been short on fireworks but long on sellable pieces. i only hope that she lands on her feet somewhere–hopefully designing for herself–and that what happened in the past turns her away from fashion. she is an extremely talented designer who had seemingly found the right house, only to have it snatched away.
pics from catwalking
