Valentino paraded high fashion inside public toilets in one of the season鈥檚 most provocative backdrops, especially for a house as classical as Valentino 鈥� upending traditional notions of luxury.
Yet at time when restrooms remain a cultural and political flashpoint in debates around gender identity, access, and self-presentation, the show鈥檚 setting 鈥� one the designer described as 鈥減roudly political鈥� 鈥� also felt like a deliberate challenge.
The set was a meticulous recreation, down to the tiling, soap dispensers, mirrors and endless rows of stalls, all bathed in an unsettling, almost seedy red light.
Partly inspired by David Lynch, the space set the tone for Alessandro Michele鈥檚 bold new vision. With a background in costume design, Michele infuses his collections with inspirations from theater and film, crafting narratives as much as he does garments.
It was one of the standout shows in Paris this season, drawing a front row as eclectic as the collection itself. Chappell Roan, Parker Posey, Jared Leto and Barry Keoghan sat amid the crimson glow, their presence adding to the surreal energy of the day.
Fashion goes down the drain (in a good way)
Michele often selects venues with deep historical or cultural significance 鈥� think palaces 鈥� so this public toilet setting was a clever subversion, even of his own signature style. The result? A show that explored the boundaries between public and private, intimacy and exposure, and the ever-blurred lines of identity in contemporary fashion.
The looks 鈥� from toilet flush to the camera flash
Models emerged from toilet cubicles, some stopping to inspect their faces in the mirrors, blurring the line between personal and performative. The clothes were pure theatricality: caps, hoods, and dark shades concealing the face, while sheer nude tops exposed breasts and the intimacy of the body, a direct contrast between covering up and revealing.
Michele鈥檚 designs are characterized by a kaleidoscopic mix of times and cultures, blending elements from different historical periods to create a unique aesthetic. He considers himself an 鈥渁rt archaeologist,鈥� exploring how adornment and embellishment have evolved over the centuries.
One striking example: intricately embroidered lingerie with an opulent silken bust and stiff Victorian collar, its crotch flap left provocatively undone, as if the model had to rush to the restroom. Baroque motifs and 18th-century ruffles clashed with oversized, washed-out denim jeans, while his signature maximalist mix of leopard print, faux fur, and tweed created a tension鈥攍ike the most opulent thrift store imaginable.
There were so many styles, they defied description. And that was the point. The overloaded looks were intentional, a singular vision of excess that defines Michele鈥檚 aesthetic and cements his legacy as a designer who refuses to conform.
Fashion鈥檚 most talked-about restroom break
The audience buzzed with excitement. 鈥淗e鈥檚 upending Valentino in the same way Demna did at Balenciaga,鈥� one front-row guest remarked. The applause was loud, the reaction immediate. This wasn鈥檛 just a collection, it was a statement, disruptive and irreverent, pulling a classical house into new, unexpected territory.
Whose toilet is it anyway?
For Michele, the public toilet was more than a backdrop 鈥� it was a space where boundaries dissolve, a setting charged with meaning. He described it as a 鈥渃ounter-place鈥� that blurs distinctions between public and private, intimacy and exposure, transforming the mundane into something profoundly symbolic.
But as Michele put it, it was also a 鈥減roudly political鈥� space, one designed to upend convention and provoke thought. Though he never explicitly linked the setting to gender politics, the casting spoke volumes. Androgynous models stood alongside male and female counterparts, all moving fluidly through the space, reinforcing the idea that identity is unfixed, and fashion, like the world it reflects, defies rigid categorization. At a time when restrooms remain at the heart of cultural and political debates on gender identity, access, and self-expression, the show鈥檚 setting was impossible to ignore.
With this, Michele made it clear that his vision for Valentino extends far beyond clothing. It is about identity in motion, the interplay of concealment and revelation. And above all, fashion as a stage for storytelling at its most provocative.
Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
