To capture the essence of the Valentino Haute Collection SS21 presentation, the collection notes simply read: “Women, men: naturally, smoothly”.

Traditional applications “masculine” and “feminine” tailoring were nowhere to be seen on the runway; instead, the focus was on craftsmanship and timelessness. Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli titled the collection ‘Temporal’ and staged it in honour of Roman craftspeople who helped create the one-of-a-kind pieces. 

“They celebrate the human: the mind that conceives and the hand that creates and gives value,” said Pierpaolo in a statement. “Through a work process that sits above time, they produce timeless objects moulded on the individual.”

What’s more, as Osman Ahmed writes for i-D, “ Part of the Pierpaolo’s genius with this collection was taking quotidian garments — pullover sweaters, trench coats, parka, Bermuda shorts, white shirts, even hoodies — and giving them such a blinding couture treatment that they became fantastical versions of something familiar, albeit in the Roman designer’s signature delicious colour combinations”.

WATCH THE FULL VALENTINO HAUTE COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2021 COLLECTION: