CON
CONAn elegiac celebration of cinema, craftsmanship and legacy
Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2026 haute couture show, presented at Paris Couture Week, arrived in a moment of deep emotional resonance for the maison. It was the first couture collection unveiled after the passing of founder Valentino Garavani, and creative director Alessandro Michele shaped it as both a tribute and a reflection on glamour and storytelling in fashion. The presentation itself became part of the narrative, with guests guided through a darkened space and encouraged to view looks through small windows, creating a sense of cinematic peeking and intimate engagement that echoed the collection’s theme of visibility and myth-making.
The clothes balanced Michele’s known taste for rich references with a quieter reverence for the house’s heritage. Silhouettes were sculptural yet soft, bias-cut gowns and elegant draping sitting alongside structured tailoring and intricate smocking. Sequins, embroidery and intense colour, especially the iconic Valentino red, lent the collection its couture gravitas, while lace veils and delicate pleats added poetic texture. This interplay of drama and discipline suggested that the collection was less about authorial statement and more about sustaining the ethos of Valentino’s atelier: reverence for craft and celebration of beauty as ceremony.
Across reviews, one piece that stood out as emblematic was a goddess-like column dress in black, framed by a sweeping crimson cape embroidered with gold flame-like motifs tracing the body’s lines. It felt symbolic of the show’s emotional heartbeat, referencing both tradition and transformation. Models also appeared in kaftan-like silhouettes, delicate embroidered slips and garments with thousands of crystals, reinforcing the collection’s dual focus on opulence and poetry.
The overall mood of Valentino’s CC 2026 couture was contemplative rather than sensational, asking a subtle question about the role of luxury now: whether haute couture can be awe-inspiring without overwhelming, and how deep craft can speak to both history and present. In a season filled with spectacle, this collection reminded audiences that the art of dressing can be both intimate and monumental, a living dialogue between past and future.
