PARIS – Summer was literally in the air at Giambattista Valli’s Paris show.
A lack of effective air conditioning at the Italian designer’s spring-summer 2014 collection heated guests beyond comfort.
When the show began to thumping syncopated music, intense white light bulbs turned on, upping the temperature even more. Several models sporting the summer looks broke out into a sweat under this bright science lab decor.
The collection’s esthetic also showed that Valli is one designer who embraces heat wholeheartedly.
The first looks in black and white featured ultra mini skorts (a skirt with shorts underneath), elegant crop tops, and below-the-knee slit skirts that exposed the leg right up to the hip.
They’ll no doubt be a hit with figures such as Italian socialite Bianca Brandolini d’Adda and American actress Angie Harmon, who lined the front row.
Wide fabric swirl details provided the otherwise fairly simple show’s creative elements, creating an ascending silhouette around the midriff like an unfurling flower. But apart from a great flash of bright yellow on a micro dress and 3-D appliqued flowers, Valli seemed to have lost some of the energy seen in his diaphanous couture show in March.
When the show ended Monday, sweaty guests sighed in solidarity. One editor said it felt like coming out of a heated session of Bikram Yoga.
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