For their spring ready-to wear collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli looked for design cues in the Eternal City — their own hometown and headquarters of Valentino.
“We take a lot of inspiration from Rome,” said Chiuri during a preview of the collection this month. “In some ways, our idea of it is not so beautiful. But for us, the city and fashion are about dreams.”
The pair also saw an exhibition of work by Roman photographer Arturo Ghergo, known for his portraits in the Forties, his subjects ranging from Marella Agnelli to the actresses of Cinecittà to women on the street. His signature was casting celebrities and civilians in the same glamorous light.
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The designers were struck by the notion of a woman’s identity and the concept of personal beauty.
A recent Cindy Sherman show also had some influence — not her strange impersonations, but Sherman’s mastery of self-representation. A woman can choose whom she wants to be.
Here, the mood boards that inspired the season.