Make no mistake, Cruise 2018 will be the season of sandals and sports socks. Miuccia Prada decreed it this month at her label’s resort show in Milan, and lest there should be any doubt, Pierpaolo Piccioli has also just given it the Valentino seal of approval.
The designer showed his Valentino 2018 cruise collection today in New York. The classic rockstud sandal got a graphic update, while others came with quilting or go-faster stripes. All were teamed with matching ankle socks and a sporty verve.
There were also quilted pool slides, fluffy feathered hightops with rubber soles and even furry thongs, we suspect mink, that took the current vogue for fluffy slides to the next level. There’ll be no chafed inner toes for Piccioli’s breed of elevated surfer girl.
Yes, in homage to its U.S. locale, the collection homed in on American’s sportswear tradition, fusing East Coast with West. And while those crowd-pleaser evening dresses were still in evidence, the approach felt infinitely fresher. A new direction for the house? We’ll have to wait for October’s spring 2018 collection to find out.
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Click through the gallery to view the collection.
