Freedom of self expression, freedom of sexuality and freedom of movement. Pierpaolo Piccoli’s spring ’19 Valentino collection was a celebration of all the personal freedoms we enjoy and take for granted today. And tonight in Paris, he started from the ground up. There wasn’t a heel in sight.
He drew on the idea of historical utopias like the ’70s Marrakesh populated by Yves Saint Laurent and the bohemian Maverick Festival of the 1920s that paved the way for Woodstock and Burning Man.
His multigenerational cast, including Kristen McMenamy, Maria Carla Boscono and Kaia Gerber, all wore sporty flat sandals, espadrilles and sneakers — and all of them came with an exotic flutter of feathers to the rear.
The feathers are removable too — you just pop the feathered section on and off with a couple of press studs. Also, following on from last season’s men’s sneakers, you’ll be able to switch up the detachable part for an alternative customized with your own initials.
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The sandals were completely monoblocked, giving them a really contemporary vibe. Rubber soles, leather uppers, insoles and plumage were all dyed in exactly the same shade — from black and oxblood to the most saturated paint-pot red, the leather roughly tooled, as if fashioned in a Moroccan market stall.
Team a showstopper dress with a flat and it immediately becomes something altogether edgier and more modern. Make it an edgy flat like these the idea is intensified a hundredfold.
Elsewhere were canvas espadrilles, some with a delicate lace overlay, while white sneakers came teamed, Serena Williams style, with an evening gown in a dramatic psychedelic motif of green and purple. Now, though, she can switch things up with these sporty sandal alternatives.
See more styles on the runway at Valentino’s spring 2019 show.
