A Love Letter to: Alessandro Michele
Preparing for an era of awe and wonder at Valentino
Today marks Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino. A show that has seen journalists throw around words like “hotly anticipated” with aplomb, but for me and many others it’s more than that. We’ve missed the maximalism and magic this man is renowned for and the chance to witness it again is not to be missed.
At Gucci, Michele introduced wit, whimsy and wild levels of decoration and embellishment. but he also made space for Gucci within a larger ecosystem of fashion. He understood the world is multi-hyphenate now and that fashion must reflect that. Partnerships with The North Face, Palace, and Adidas, merged the worlds of street style with high-end fashion in a culture clash that helped garner an entirely new audience.
One of which, was me. Having studied embroidery I was captivated by his use of embellishment but it was more than that, the designs he created had an element of fantasy and wonder that had been missing from fashion for me. They were all a little extra, but for me that’s what designer fashion should be, not to say everything needs to be maximalist but a high price tag should warrant something more, whether it’s because the cut is impeccable or it engages your imagination. Michele’s mother was an assistant to a movie producer and cinema aficionado, a love she passed down to him and for me, this is part of why he understands the theatre of clothing so well.
Case in point this:
and these:
Not only does Michele understand that surprise and delight is an essential part of fashion’s appeal, he’s not afraid to be a little subversive with it. Severed heads, surreal twins ( not to mention the colossal task of producing two perfect samples) are all tools he uses to make us pay attention.
For the critics who prod at his love of vintage, may I nudge you in the direction of the excellent phrase “good artists copy, great artists steal”. Michele reimagines vintage for us all but without the musty smell.
He embraces textile, pattern and embroidery with a passion seen by few designers. Surface decoration is an underrated tool reserved usually for couture but he brought craft to the front and allowed beauty to lead. Not just the traditional type of beauty, Alessandro celebrated that unique form of beauty I only know how to define as “je ne said quoi”, that is that unknown quantity that makes you fall in love with something. In some cases, he shared untypically lovely things and made us see them in a new gilded light.
This man brings baby dragons to the masses, he’s beloved of Harry Styles. He’s a student of the world, and one of the designers that understand cultural capital at its absolute roots. When he references something and makes it his own, he understands the power of using it and how adding his context makes it appear at once familiar and anew.He genuinely understands gender fluidity and the common language of clothes that is beauty.
As an artist he elevates and celebrates not only the artistry of fashion but the joy of it all too. If you’ve never known the power wearing a beautiful item can bring, I hope you discover it.
Case in point the coat I splurged on for my 40th Birthday, a coat that even in London (where it’s an unwritten rule you don’t talk to strangers) people have pursued me to ask where it’s from.
Part graduation gown, part magical cape, with a nod to the Yankees skillfully executed in Cornelli embroidery, it’s a masterpiece and hard not to feel a little bit magical when you wear it.
Valentino badly needs this shakeup,the V motif is staid, the rockstar stud passé, they need access to muses, artists and music, Michele naturally brings that.
So today Alessandro, here’s to more magic, wonder and mastery, we have missed you!✨✨✨
