Alessandro Michele’s first couture show for the house of Valentino was the hottest ticket of the week.
Michele upped the cinematic stakes, showing a variety of looks on stage against a big screen of seemingly free-associated words, and Sir Elton John, Colman Domingo and Nick Cave were among those with a front row seat.
Instead of last looks, models moved against the wind and a blink-inducing barrage of flashing lights as if in frames of an old-fashioned film. The designer drove home the point with the show notes being a film script.
Oscar-nominee Domingo thinks Michele should direct.
“His shows are so theatrical and have such a great story,” said Domingo. He shared that the two had met Tuesday and discussed filmmaking, but Michele gave a hard pass on ever getting behind the camera, much to Domingo’s dismay. “Every single look, you felt the fantasy, you felt the story, you felt references from around the world,” he said of the fashion show.
Domingo added that the runway was diverse in age and color, which he found a very beautiful, inclusive message. “That’s what Alessandro does. He makes you feel like you’re part of the world, and the world is a big, magical place where you can have fun and express yourself.”
He was expressing himself in a full Valentino look, with printed pajama suiting, a tan blazer and tie belt from the resort collection presented last June. He completed the look with a handbag and some seriously cool shoes. The actor categorized it as maximalist and minimalist at the same time.
“It’s just a little bit of chaos,” he said. Domingo, who has a long-standing relationship with Michele, felt the day’s outfit summed up the designer’s more-is-more aesthetic. “Yet I feel like I can wear this on any given Wednesday.”
Domingo just wrapped working with another legend, director Gus Van Sant. He wrapped the 1970s-set film “Dead Man’s Wire” last weekend and then got on a plane to Paris. Next, he will be working with Steven Spielberg on “The Dish.”
The two directors are similar in their enthusiasm. “These innovative creators still create with a sense that they’re doing it for the first time, and they want conversations and work to be meaningful together,” he said.
But “The Dish” comes after the Oscars, and the back-to-back nominee is getting ready for the red carpet. He loved the show’s looks and said he hopes that Michele can interpret a male version of some of the dramatic dresses. They’ll be planning that look soon, as well as his outfit for the Met Gala on May 5.
For Nick Cave and wife Susie Bick, founder of The Vampire’s Wife, it was their first time seeing Michele’s vision of Valentino.
“We both absolutely love Alessandro, so we’re super excited,” said Bick, as she practiced where to properly place her handbag for the best shot. She was in a velvet wrap dress with an embroidered flower pattern.
Aside from the flashes from the photographers, the room was movie theater black.
“We’re happy because it’s dark,” joked Cave. “Darkness for a dark age.” The legendary singer just wrapped the European leg of his tour, but will hit the U.S. starting in April. For now, he is continuing the advice column he runs on his own website, where he takes philosophical inquiries from fans.
Thai pop star Jeff Satur wore a dramatic ruffled collar and low-cut, corset-style waistcoat. He was named the house’s first brand ambassador from Thailand last December.
Satur reflected on the growing importance of Thailand on the world fashion stage, with other Thai stars making the front row during men’s and couture weeks.
“All of my friends, celebrities, are here in Paris this fashion week,” he said of the growing Thai presence. “I think we are growing bigger and bigger, and I think this is a new opportunity for the fashion brands to be out.”
Satur, who released his single “Ride or Die” on Jan. 10, said he is prepping for a series of concerts in Thailand and perhaps more around Asia this summer.
