The appointment of Alessandro Michele as the new Valentino creative director sent shockwaves through the industry earlier this year. As we await Michele’s highly anticipated Fall/Winter collection this coming September, Valentino dials into the Roman summer with its Escape collection. Through the campaign video, we witness an idyllic coastal summer envisioned by the Italian Maison: carefree and barefoot, the Escape sends us all on effervescent beach picnics along the Mediterranean shores.
Like all previous Valentino Escape capsules, the collection rolls out a paradisal and colourful palette. For ready-to-wear, the lineup includes summer wardrobe staples like airy kaftans, shirts, and dresses to layer over swimsuits and swim separates. Bedecked with starfish and chevron prints, the collection oozes with a touch of retro as both patterns are revived from the archival of the celebrated fashion house.
Adding the starfish motif to Valentino’s vocabulary ever since the Spring/Summer 2015 show, the sea creature was embroidered on diaphanous and floor-grazing gowns for the ocean-themed show. The Art Deco-inspired chevron, on the other hand, was first seen in the Spring 2019 collection, printed on flowy garments that dance along as the wearers move. These two prints are reimagined in the Escape capsule through lightweight fabric and looser silhouettes, capturing the essence of summer: free spirit.
The accessories are as much as a scene stealer with the starfish motif animating the versatile totes and also hand-embossed in bright pink on the footwear like espadrilles and heels. These quirky designs add a hint of whimsicality to an outfit—after all, summer is about being fun. As for the risktaker who fears no clashing colours, the chevron print in multicolour splatters across bucket bags, slides or even headbands.
If visiting a seaside villa is on your to-do list this summer, Valentino is also launching pop-ups in some of the world’s most renowned and welcomed summer locations, including a boat experience in the South of France. But if a Mediterranean summer sounds too on the nose, you can also plan around the aptly Valentino’s hot air balloon escape in Cappadocia, Turkey.