In Valentino’s world, an instruction can become an invitation, a dress code can liberate, and limitation can free. From pieces made to be worn every day, Pierpaolo Piccioli plays with the rules and inverts cultures to create black tie looks through which he contradicts the concept and entirely redefines it.

In Maison Valentino’s own vocabulary, shirt and tie fuse and morph into diverse permutations of dresses and gowns. Blurring the line between day and evening wear, this focus on tailoring in a pared-back palette bursts with dynamism, activity, and modernity, while honoring the House’s heritage, couture gestures, graphic pattern and superlative craft.

In turn, Valentino Garavani shoes and accessories count their own story as the Rockstud, which was first introduced in 2010, punctuates them throughout the show and flawlessly blends between renaissance style and punk in a unique reference to the Maison’s multifaceted identity. While black tie gains a new definition, uniformity and homogeny through the lens of Piccioli become the essence of modern humanity.