This is perhaps one of the most exciting posts I have ever written. That sounds massively melodramatic I know but I cannot actually believe that tomorrow I will be travelling to Rome with Valentino to attend their Mirabilia Romae Haute Couture show and event(s)…
Valentino is a brand I love, respect and find endlessly fascinating – perlease, I wrote a 25,000 word university thesis on the subject – and the way they continually innovate, embrace new technologies, audiences and cultures while always retaining the house’s core values and honouring it’s incredible heritage is a big part of that. From the Jackie O days and heady Italian glamour of the 1960’s to Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s modern articulation of the Valentino woman, the clothes have always been heart stoppingly, mesmerizingly beautiful so that combined with the Maison’s intelligent, forward thinking approach to communication totally floors me. To reuse a quote I used in my thesis (will stop banging on about it soon I promise) possibly for the second or third time, Valentino is the power brand of now and I am truly honoured, hopelessly over excited and to be honest rather surprised to be a part of such a special occasion with them. I will no doubt write a lot more about this very soon but for now I’ll keep it brief; Haute Couture is an art form that has against all odds stood the test of time and has, in many ways, changed hugely in very recent years. Rather than engaging with just the very, very small group of clients who purchase it, couture now engages a younger, broader, global audience both at the shows which, admittedly, remain highly exclusive if less so than before* and of course via digital media. Couture aterliers have long been a mysterious, hallowed space even to many “fashion insiders” but now certain Maison’s are allowing the world a glimpse into the phenomenal creative process that goes into creating their couture pieces via social media and Valentino has been at the forefront of that. This season, they are even livestreaming the Mirabilia Romane Haute Couture show and have invited me to join them in doing so here. Below is a video screen that the show will broadcast on live at 7.30pm Rome time (technical term) or 6.30pm GMT tomorrow. If you ever take any advice from me then it should be to watch this, it’s going to be incredibly special. In the meantime, make sure you’re following me on Instagram – @lapetiteanglaise – and Snapchat – @ellacatliff – because there will be some amazing things happening in Rome tomorrow afternoon.
Quick cheese moment, thank you so much for your support, without that this would not be happening. Can’t wait to share more from the Mirabilia Romae experience with you all!
Love Ella. X
