Valentino Menswear Fall/Winter 2017

As profoundly adept as this brand is in designing gowns and capturing the demure essence of women, they are truly uneventful in presenting their idea of male style. At the house of Valentino menswear has never been a strong suit. The elements of detail orientation that is so heavily imbued in the women’s collections are also evident in this most recent foray into the world of men’s. The styling is also remarkably done, as one would only expect from a prestigious entity such as Valentino. What throws one for a loop is the lack of originality in what was presented. The clothes themselves are attractive, but the incredible vision that is at the epicenter of Pier Paolo Piccioli’s success in women’s couture did not translate to the label’s male output. For any other creative director this is a superb effort, for a master of elegant conceptualism it is simply not as impressive.