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Valentino Keeps the Ladies Happy
By: Dana Thomas
Photo by Gruber-FWD
Click on image to see bigger photo.
Paris, Mar 13, 2001/ FWD/ --- Valentino always knows how to make the ladies happy, and he should
after 40 years in the business of dressing them.
His Fall/Winter 2001 ready-to-wear collection, presented on Tuesday in the Louvre, was no
different.
The collection was a glorious celebration of femininity and the female form.
It was particularly strong because that silhouette was set mostly in black, the sharp lines of
Valentino's master cutting drawn like a felt tip on a sheet of white paper.
This season Valentino focused on separates, giving women freedom to choose and mix as they wish.
For day, the Rome-based designer showed white shirts with ruffles, with pleats, with scoop necks
and Oxford-shirt-like collars.
He paired them with black trousers skinny, straight or flared à
la David Bowie in his Glitter Rock days, and black skirts that were slim, A-line, short and long.
He colored his palette with plaids that were heavy on his signature red.
He used the plaids mostly for skirts, and they too ran long, short, flared and straight, as
if Valentino said, "We can dress you, no matter your shape or size or age."
Of course, Valentino didn't abandon the dress completely.
For cocktails, he offered various
versions of the always-appropriate little black dress, some snug and décolleté, some shimmery
satin slips, some empire-waist taffeta wraps.
And his coats were Republican princess-style, sometimes topped off with lush fur boas.
Think Nancy Reagan, and you've got it.
Valentino eveningwear was Oscar-caliber, from black crepe columns to black taffeta ball gowns.
And naturally, there was the requisite red number, this time long-sleeved jersey with a flurry
of matching ostrich feathers wafting around the hem.
It was a well-balanced and idea-driven collection that is sure to please many.
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