ALESSANDRO MICHELE

ALESSANDRO MICHELE
WHEN IN ROME
Imagination Will Follow
THE HOUSE OF VALENTINO 2025
_{Marcus G Blassingame}

In the vibrant milieu of 1970s Rome, a young Alessandro Michele found solace in the exploration of his mother’s wardrobe, his fingers gliding over the whispering taffeta, shimmering sequins, and the relics of bygone eras. His mother, an assistant to an executive within a film-production company, embodied an ethos of glamour, necessitating a meticulous self-presentation. One particular gown ensnared Michele’s youthful imagination: an exquisite creation of crepe de chine, reminiscent of Valentino’s artistry. This full-length, high-necked garment cascaded gracefully, evoking the silhouette of a candle. The gown’s front, clad entirely in black, adhered to his mother’s discerning taste for timeless elegance. In a striking contrast, its reverse was adorned with a resplendent butterfly in shades of pink and lilac—an exquisite and subversive flourish, symbolizing transformation and ephemeral beauty. Michele’s mother revealed that she had donned this masterpiece for a premiere, leaving him with the poignant impression that she was conveying, “I wore it in a world that now no longer exists.”

Four decades after those formative explorations, Michele found himself in possession of yet another sartorial trove: the illustrious archive of the House of Valentino, to which he was appointed creative director in the spring of 2024. On his inaugural day at the Valentino offices, nestled within a late-Renaissance palazzo on the Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, Michele delved into an extraordinary repository of garments, shoes, and myriad objects—each crafted with an exquisite lightness that belied an almost architectural precision.

In his previous tenure as creative director of Gucci, a role he inhabited for nearly eight years until late 2022, Michele had distinguished himself as an unparalleled curator, transforming the brand through his eclectic affinity for vintage and bohemian styles, adorning his devotees in pieces reminiscent of treasures unearthed from English church-hall sales or the discarded wardrobes of Italian nobility.

Now, with the Valentino archive at his fingertips, and endowed with access to the skilled artisans whose expertise underpinned its remarkable legacy, Michele encountered an unprecedented opportunity: to invigorate his own imagination by engaging with, evaluating, and reinterpreting the material heritage left by his esteemed predecessor.