To coincide with the launch of the Brisbane Fashion Festival, Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art opened Valentino: Past, Present and Future, a retrospective of Valentino Garavanis’ life’s work and a celebration of one of couture’s masters.
One hundred dresses showcase five decades of creativity. Whilst it’s primarily a collection of glamorous gowns (there was less than a handful of daywear and even that was luxurious woollen tailoring, the type worn by the likes of Jackie Kennedy in the sixties) it would be unfair to describe it as anything less than comprehensive, fabulous eveningwear is after all what has defined the house of Valentino.
The selection of gowns span his first collection to his last and all his looks in between. There are red carpet gowns worn by screen legends from Elizabeth Taylor to Julia Roberts; the silk satin dress that was the subject of his creative musings during the recent film documentary centred round the man behind the label; and even the new generation of Valentino under the creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccoli.
There were gowns too in what is now trademark ‘Valentino’ red. These however, have more of a cameo than a starring role. They’re sufficient to show their part in his success (the red gown is synonymous with the Valentino name) yet concise enough to recognise his achievements extend beyond mere colour association.
What struck me most about the exhibition was the sheer beauty of every single piece in it. Throughout the psychedelic sixties, the lurid seventies, excessive eighties and even the post-modern nineties, Valentino has stayed true to his vision of femininity. He has the ability to engage with an era without being consumed by it, to flirt with its style rather than blindly following (or inventing) a crazy trend.
His creations are often opulent, sometimes to the point of extravagance. They can also be elegant or pretty or sometimes just plain fun but whatever their mood they are always timeless - a room full of dresses spanning fifty years and it’s nearly impossible to define them by decade.
That should be the distinction of a great fashion designer – a createur who can imagine beauty that’s not limited to an era; who has an ethos that does not only define one generation but includes the multitude. To be great one has to be able to think beyond the dictates of society and follow one’s beliefs, and for that this exhibition proves Valentino is truly a master of his craft.
One hundred dresses showcase five decades of creativity. Whilst it’s primarily a collection of glamorous gowns (there was less than a handful of daywear and even that was luxurious woollen tailoring, the type worn by the likes of Jackie Kennedy in the sixties) it would be unfair to describe it as anything less than comprehensive, fabulous eveningwear is after all what has defined the house of Valentino.
The selection of gowns span his first collection to his last and all his looks in between. There are red carpet gowns worn by screen legends from Elizabeth Taylor to Julia Roberts; the silk satin dress that was the subject of his creative musings during the recent film documentary centred round the man behind the label; and even the new generation of Valentino under the creative direction of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccoli.
There were gowns too in what is now trademark ‘Valentino’ red. These however, have more of a cameo than a starring role. They’re sufficient to show their part in his success (the red gown is synonymous with the Valentino name) yet concise enough to recognise his achievements extend beyond mere colour association.
What struck me most about the exhibition was the sheer beauty of every single piece in it. Throughout the psychedelic sixties, the lurid seventies, excessive eighties and even the post-modern nineties, Valentino has stayed true to his vision of femininity. He has the ability to engage with an era without being consumed by it, to flirt with its style rather than blindly following (or inventing) a crazy trend.
His creations are often opulent, sometimes to the point of extravagance. They can also be elegant or pretty or sometimes just plain fun but whatever their mood they are always timeless - a room full of dresses spanning fifty years and it’s nearly impossible to define them by decade.
That should be the distinction of a great fashion designer – a createur who can imagine beauty that’s not limited to an era; who has an ethos that does not only define one generation but includes the multitude. To be great one has to be able to think beyond the dictates of society and follow one’s beliefs, and for that this exhibition proves Valentino is truly a master of his craft.
