PARIS — Alessandro Michele’s Valentino couture debut was the most anticipated ticket of Paris Couture Week, and the designer didn't disappoint with a lavish spectacle at the Palais Brongniart, a fittingly historic backdrop for his past-meets-present storytelling.

The pop superstar’s pink shoes were at odds with the moody theatrics on the runway, which was a celebration of fashion as sheer theatre

Valentino’s dizzying display rocks the boat at Paris haute couture week - Alessandro Michele’s couture debut certainly made an impression on show goers

This afternoon in Paris (29 Janaury 2025), the Italian designer hit new heights with an eclectic, era-traversing couture collection for Valentino

When Alessandro Michele was growing up in Rome in the 1970s, one of his favorite pastimes was to rummage through his mother’s closet and to run his hands over the rustling taffeta, glinting sequins, and other adornments of time past.

The Italian designer revealed 48 dresses, all fundamentally inspired by an idea at the nexus of infinity by Umberto Eco. See every look.

For the rest of us, January feels slow, oh-so cold, and devoid of joy. Just me? For celebs, January means wintering in Aspen, evenings of Parisian elegance, and outfits that cost more than

For his first haute couture collection for Valentino, Alessandro Michele dropped a stack of paper the size of a dissertation on each seat. Held together by a metal paper fastener were pages and pages of stream-of-consciousness lists. A random sampling: the description for look 37 included the sequence “petticoat, tundra, eschatology.”

He found it to be “an incredible journey” and “very meaningful” to see the painstaking handcrafting a made-to-measure piece goes through and work with the petites mains, of whom he says, “I had to gain their trust.

For his debut collection at the French house, the designer left 100-page documents as show notes on every seat at the runway show.

Alessandro Michele's couture debut was the hottest ticket in town, with Nick Cave and Thai pop star Jeff Satur taking in the theatrical show.