See Alessandro Michele's Theatrical Valentino Haute Couture Debut

Alessandro Michele's highly anticipated haute couture debut for Valentino, entitled "Vertigineux," was an operatic study in craftsmanship, philosophy, and excess, all things Michele is a proven expert in. From the outset, the venue signaled its ambition. Guests were met with 200-page show notes, a near-encyclopedic prelude to the cerebral spectacle that followed. From the very first look—a multi-hued, crisscrossed dress that cascades from one texture to another, totaling up to 1,300 hours of meticulous handwork—the clothes left an indelible mark on the runway and every person in attendance.

Michele honored Valentino’s heritage but dialed it to a fever pitch, draping history in layers of diaphanous fabric and intricate embellishments. As models glided down the runway, a digital panel streamed an eclectic mix of words: "graphism, harlequin grid squares, Mandarin fish, Vitruvius bustier, Middle Ages"—a glimpse into Michele’s expansive web of references. The collection oscillates between eras, blending the elegance of Elizabethan ballgowns and Tudor silhouettes with a dreamier, more romantic sensibility. Michele’s signature excess and maximalism was on full display in delicate lace, oversized bows, intricate embroidery, and a flourish of Rococo-inspired decadence conjured visions of Marie Antoinette’s court. Among the opulence, patterns clashed and harmonized—polka dots, florals, and cascades of ruffles, each unmistakably Michele.

The finale erupted in a storm of strobe lights—Michele’s vision of order dissolving into disorder. At the heart of "Vertigineux" was his fascination with lists, inspired by Umberto Eco’s The Infinity of Lists. “The list does not destroy culture, it creates it,” a quote from Eco opening show notes says. Michele wrote that the collection aimed to make it feel "as if every dress evoked, through association, a plurality of interconnected worlds." Indeed, his couture creations were constellations of history, cinema, botany, and literature—stitched together into something wholly new.

Click through the gallery below to see every photo from the Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 show.