In his runway debut for Valentino, creative director Alessandro Michele walks on broken glass to introduce a new vision for the house
When Alessandro Michele debuted his surprise Resort collection for Valentino last June, critics quickly noted the uncanny resemblance to his era at Gucci—so much so that some questioned if Michele was stuck in his time loop. Yet here we are, standing amidst the shattered glass of his Spring/Summer 2025 collection, titled Pavillon Des Folies. Is he cracking the old with broken shards beneath our feet for reinvigoration? The label’s new creative director has officially declared this era his own, and he’s doing it with all the maximalist essence we’ve come to expect.
RELATED: This is What Beauty Means For Sofia Andres
The creative director brings us into a space where beauty, like life, is fragile, erratic, and unpredictable. For Michele, this pavilion isn’t just a showcase of the absurd, but a metaphor for existence itself. Beneath Valentino’s heavy-handed gowns lies an exploration of our ephemeral reality. Life is a constant tiptoe on mirrors, with every step threatening to crack the fragile surface beneath us.
The setting of the show, too, was as much a statement as the clothes. White cloth draped over furniture, barely lit with a subtle, almost ghostly glow, set the scene for Michele’s manifesto. The cracked glass flooring symbolized the fragmented nature of our existence—fractured yet connected by invisible threads.
Michele’s signature maximalism was the environment. Ruffles, paisley, and embroidery adorned the garments, juxtaposing the tactile beauty of the designs and the philosophical undertone of the show’s setting. The clothes felt timeless—not in the sense that they could belong to any era, but that they transcended time itself. They were garments that seemed to be pieces of a life lived in fragments, brought together by Michele’s eccentricity. It’s maximalism, yes, but with layers of meaning that made each piece feel like a wearable epiphany.
For those who have followed Michele’s work, there were, of course, familiar elements—ruffles cascading down dresses, rich textures, and a color palette that ranged from muted tones to bursts of florals that would make any bee swoon. But this wasn’t just a rehash of his Gucci days. If anything, it was a wink to the past, nodding to what once was, while defiantly creating something entirely new. The floral motifs—present in everything from delicate embroideries to full-on prints—were more than just aesthetic choices. They were symbols of beauty’s power to thrive in the most chaotic of worlds. In Michele’s world, beauty isn’t just ornamental, but a balm for the disorder we face daily, a reminder that even in a pavilion of follies, there is a method to the madness.
I rather allude to that unique capability to deeply feel and connect with something that unveils and reveals a new universe of meaning: an epiphany in which the connections between us, things and living beings, become immediately visible.
– Alessandro Michele on beauty
What is beauty, according to Michele? It’s not the dogmatic mythologization of perfection but rather the fleeting, almost incidental moments that take our breath away. It’s the fragility of a finely embroidered dress, the fleeting scent of wet soil after a rainstorm, or the gentle brush of organza ruffles against skin. In Pavillon Des Folies, Michele urges us to embrace beauty’s elusive nature, to let it soothe our existential wounds as we navigate the chaos of life. As he quoted Théophile Gautier, “The truly beautiful is that which serves no purpose.” And yet, here we are, finding purpose in Michele’s seemingly purposeless beauty.
At its core, Michele’s debut for Valentino can be considered a probe of how beauty can heal, even when the ground beneath us is cracking. He’s not simply reframing the Valentino aesthetic; he’s creating a new universe within it, one where fragility is a strength and every piece of broken glass is an opportunity for revelation. The creative director leads us through a labyrinth of beauty, one that feels both personal and universal, resonant in the clothes that he creates.
Alessandro Michele has thrown away what does not bring him joy—not only establishing new codes for Valentino but also revealing the soul beneath the brand’s surface. He’s invited us to tiptoe across mirrors, shatter them, and find meaning (or not find meaning) in the shards. After all, what is fashion if not a reflection of the fragile, fleeting beauty of life?
Photos: VALENTINO
