Alessandro Michele Surprise-Drops His First Valentino Collection
Remember how Alessandro Michele designed his first collection for Gucci back in 2015 in two weeks? Clearly, the designer is not one for taking his time to get acclimated to a new job, because less than three months after arriving at Valentino, his first collection has arrived in our inboxes.
On Monday, Valentino released images of Michele’s first collection, pre-spring 2025, totaling more than 150 looks modeled by a mix of genders. (The drop came hours before his former employer, Gucci, presented its latest menswear collection in Milan. Coincidence or deliciously petty?)
Michele’s debut Valentino collection answers the question we’ve all been asking since the designer left Gucci: Will he bring his signature decadent, kitschy, gender-fluid whimsical style, the aesthetic that so entranced luxury shoppers during his Gucci years, to his next job? So far, yes. This collection has Michele’s DNA all over it — full of vintage hallmarks like turbans, cascading ruffles, embroidered capes and fur-cuff coats, and a maximalist approach to styling accessories like strands of pearls, gloves, and layered belts. But it’s not exactly a retread of the design approach that made his tenure at Gucci so successful. Michele at Valentino is prettier, more delicate, slightly more restrained. The color palette is cooler, lighter.
“There’s a level of workmanship that I see for the first time in a company. I can ask for the impossible, you know?” Michele said in interviews with the Business of Fashion, Women’s Wear Daily, and Vogue on Monday. “For someone like me, it’s a continuous orgasm. It’s a climax.”
Michele’s first runway show for Valentino will take place this fall during Paris Fashion Week.