Giambattista Valli: an Italian talent

“The most difficult thing in fashion is not to be known for a logo, but to be known for a shape“. This sentence would be enough to describe the work of one of the most famous Italian designers in the world. In fact, Giambattista Valli‘s touch is unique and the designer succeeds in the rare task of making one of his garments recognisable to anyone without the need to rely on initials, trademarks or slogans printed in large letters.

This distinctive trait is very difficult to find in today’s fashion world and has therefore made him one of the most appreciated designers in the sector and the most loved by the star system: celebrities of the calibre of Natalie Portman, Rania of Jordan and Penelope Cruz, to name but a few, are his declared fans. Valli’s world moves in a balance between romanticism and extravagance thanks, above all, to ample silhouettes often covered in tulle, ruffles and feathers. Although her debut in haute couture took place in 2011, her name was already well known in the world thanks to a dazzling career with brands such as Fendi, Ungaro and Capucci, or to collaborations of excellence such as the one with Moncler, for which she curated the Gamme Rouge line.

His collections always seem to move between dream and reality and often tell of his travels and his love for the glamour of the Hollywood golden age or for icons of elegance such as Elsa Schiapparelli, Jane Birkin and Claudia Cardinale. It is precisely from the latter, and the dress she wears in the famous film “Il Gattopardo“, that the wide skirts that have contributed to Valli’s fame and her nickname as an “aesthete of couture” seem to be inspired.

Although Roman by birth, it is Paris, however, the city that consecrates him in the Olympus of the fashion system and it is here that his collections still show. His work appears to be an always innovative and personal reinterpretation of great masters such as Dior and Saint Laurent, which he approaches with the creativity and irreverence of another world that he often declares to be inspired by: the provocative and free world of Studio 54. His most iconic dresses include the one sported by Zendaya on the red carpet of the 2018 Oscars in a Greek goddess version, the one worn by Dua Lipa at the Brit Awards in the same year and the looks of Kendall Jenner, a great supporter of his, who has worn his creations several times at the various editions of the Cannes Film Festival.

Ph: Calvin Smith, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr – This photo is an excerpt of the original