The Italian house took to the archives to reinterpret vacation-ready patterns designed with leisure in mind
In Partnership with VALENTINO
Words by THE C MAGAZINE EDITORS
VALENTINO Loop swimsuit, $1,200; VALENTINO Escape sarong + clutch, $790. Left to right: VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape sandal with Animalier print, $850; with Panther print, $1,590; with Loop print, $850.
The essence of elsewhere is the subject of Valentino’s summer-ready wardrobe staples, and the house’s Escape capsule collection delves into archival prints for its latest looks. Beachwear, minidresses, and caftans ideal for sojourns abroad or weekends up the coast are designed in three prints that have a long history with the Italian house. The leisurely looks are accompanied by Valentino Garavani studded sandals, Akoni-made eyewear, and a slew of bags and accessories.
Here, an Animalier jaguar print, first unveiled in 1967, is reworked as a sheer coverup, splashed across modern cutout bathing suits and even Valentino Garavani bags and VLogo Signature heels and flats. The Panther, a bold pattern dating to a 1967–68 haute couture dress, features a series of roaring black cats alongside a hint of jade on a white background now revived for two-piece beach looks, off-the-shoulder dresses, and sequin-embroidered tops in addition to scarves and pool towels. Additionally, a playful and circularly hypnotic version of the graphic Loop print, inspired by the house’s 1971 Viva Valentino advertising campaign, winds its way along crop tops, shorts, dresses, and even clutches.
Each of the three thoroughly modern prints holds a memorable place in fashion lore, linking the past with the present. Photographer Steven Meisel shot Linda Evangelista wearing the Animalier print across tops and coats a Fall/Winter 1987–88 campaign, and now it finds new life poolside. Franco Rubartelli shot Veruschka in the haute couture dress initially covered in Panther print and lensman Gian Paolo Barbieri captured it for the collection’s ad campaign, while the pattern’s latest breezy incarnation is already becoming a seashore staple. The nostalgic Loop, with its 1970s campaign roots, perfectly embraces the current sun-splashed spirit of summer.
LEFT: VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape Panther dress, $2,900, sandal, $1,590, headband, $590; mini VALENTINO Escape Panther bucket bag, $1,900. RIGHT: VALENTINO Panther swimsuit, $1,200, sarong + clutch, $790.
VALENTINO Panther swimsuit, $1,200, sarong + clutch, $790, mini bucket bag, $1,900.
VALENTINO Loop dress, price upon request; small VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape handbag with rhinestones, $2,890.
Small VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape handbag with rhinestones, $2,890; VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape handbag, $2,350; VALENTINO GARAVANI Rockstud sandals, $690; VALENTINO kaftan, $2,980.
VALENTINO Panther dress, price upon request; VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape sandal, $1,590.
LEFT: VALENTINO Animalier kaftan, $5,300; VALENTINO Rockstud gladiator sandal, $1,790. RIGHT: VALENTINO Animalier kaftan, $4,900; VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape Animalier sandal, $980; VALENTINO Escape Animalier headband, $590.
Feature image: LEFT: VALENTINO denim pants, $980. RIGHT: VALENTINO Loop dress, $2,900; VALENTINO Escape headband, $590; mini VALENTINO GARAVANI Escape bucket bag, $1,490.
July 19, 2023.
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