"Pink is the liberation from the need to depict the world in a realistic way. Monochrome is the subconscious manifestation of feelings," reads one of the images that was part of creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli's moodboard for Valentino autumn/winter 2022. And just like the entirety of the show set (once again at Carreau de Temple), it was bathed completely in a saturated pink.
That same pink that filled almost the entirety of the autumn/winter 2022 collection is set to be an official Pantone Color Institute creation too.
But no matter the motivation, a pink collection in itself is a brave proposition to make. For one, having a collection based on just one colour is limiting, especially at a time where we're inundated and so used to seemingly limitless choices. Then there's the more obvious feminine ties to the colour—the pink pussyhats of the 2017 Women's March, the pink ribbon that's an international symbol for breast cancer awareness, and not to mention the long-held social-conditioning that pink is for girls. For Piccioli, pink feels human. And perhaps, now more than ever, it's an elevated sense of humanity that we need.
For 81 looks—of which 20 are menswear—a single tone of pink was employed. It was in the 41st look that a palette cleanser of sorts came in the form of a series of contrasting all-black looks, running along for 32 more times before enveloping them in pink once again.
Piccioli's main idea was that he wanted the details and construction to be the focus, alongside the personality of each wearer. And it worked. With such a saturated colour attacking one from every angle, it felt somewhat natural to look closer and zone in on details for respite—who knew?
Look and feel: While there were a healthy number of black outfits thrown in the mix, it was really the pink ensembles that left an impression and embodied the heart of the collection. The menswear was strong both in the voluminous construction as well as the wearability factor. It was definitely a tailoring-lite collection as compared to the spring/summer 2022 but Piccioli amped up the luxury streetwear aspects with chunky sneakers, oversized T-shirts and sporty details.
Favourite looks: By far my personal favourite from the entire collection will have to be look 36. It's such a simple combination of a beautifully cut, oversized jumper (those ribbed detailing are impeccable) and roomy trousers with tone-on-tone perfection consisting of sneakers, a Valentino clutch and opera gloves. I'd honestly would live in the combination if I could. Second on the list would be a similarly simple execution as seen in look 28—an overshirt, a mesh layer underneath and the same complements of trousers, sneakers and gloves.
For the black portion of the collection, there's no denying that look 68 stood out, especially with those floral appliqués decorated all over. But for something a bit more 'impractical', there's look 71's lace top that gave such a brilliant peek at the black opera gloves. Stunning.
Favourite accessories: I've been gravitating towards ear cuffs a lot these days (piercings are a commitment I'm not one to consider yet) and Valentino's autumn/winter 2022 collection served up some options. There were pink Rockstud versions as seen on look 17 that look more like traditional earrings. Or the black V-logo ones seen on look 46 that floated right near the top. Don't sleep on ear cuffs, guys.
