Valentino Spring Haute Couture Collection 2012

Valentino designers, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli had big shoes to fill with the retirement of Valentino himself and they filled them with ease at this years showing..

They chose the likes of Marie Antionette to inspire them for their Spring showing at Paris Fashion week yesterday with floral prints and pastels being the main theme. Long flowing dresses gracefully entered the runway on tall slender models bursting with old fashioned femininity, each piece having its own sense of romance. When asked to comment on their Haute Couture collection, Piccioli simply said "Fashion needs culture or it becomes empty."

They used eighteenth century ideas and created twenty-first century shapes with their high necklines, raised waists and slight puff sleeves. 

Alongside these gorgeous, weightless dresses were tailored pieces consisting of trousers, skirts and blazers with not a single ounce of stiffness

It was revealed that a total of 3050 hours of labour went into this collection. This number reflects just how much time, energy and passion goes into putting together a top class couture collection. Their workmanship was incomprehensible with stitching so fine it seemed non existent.

To view the full collection please visit Vogue Spring Collections 2012

Terri*