It was refreshing then, to look at the couture shows, a craft tradition that’s completely supported by a certain cadre of ultra-rich people, and see an explosion of color and volume and texture (and… and…and…). Giambattista Valli can always be counted on to bring the exuberance that couture is known for; so it was with trepidation that I scrolled through the floofy tulle creations in beige at the start of his new collection; thankfully, they soon gave way to a purple and green floral print done up in a silk jacquard with sequin embroidery; a grape juice-purple pleated gown layered underneath a decadent shade of burgundy red; and ball gowns with roses in electric shades of ’80s lipstick pink. His purple-y fuchsias, deep magentas, and scarlet reds burst out of the little rectangles that contain the runway images.
At Armani Privé, Giorgio Armani indulged us with a classic take on women’s elegance that was never boring. The designer has a knack for creating a lightness with his palette that always seems to have come straight from a watercolor painting. There were bubblegum pink and grass green tie-dyed laces, and pleated and folded ball skirts in smoky shades of salmon pink or purple; but it was Signor Armani’s use of blue that felt almost transcendental. A shiny silk skirt in a shade of blue that can only be described as water-in-motion, so luminously did it catch the light, was worn with a Pepto pink little cropped jacket embroidered with abstract shapes. The models’ makeup embraced this same approach to color, with eyes that made full use of those eyeshadow palettes that have the same allure as candy to young girls.