When it comes to Alessandro Michele’s vision at Valentino, the refined art of restraint is not one he is often inclined to practise. Yet for Pre-Fall ’26, Michele appears to flirt with the idea of pulling back, at least at first glance. Detouring from the operatic theatrics that have come to define his tenure, the collection opens with a sense of considered reduction, as if Michele momentarily loosens his grip on excess, allowing silhouette, texture and colour to lead the conversation.
Presented through a lookbook, the collection unfolds through a cast of characters caught mid-motion, trapezing across a variety of scenes. Boxy shoulders and sleek, elongated dresses burst with saturated colour, recalling the exuberance of 1980s Valentino, while fringe and velvet trimmings signal Michele’s own romantic fairytale. Snakeskin boots sit confidently alongside delicate lace slips, as oversized fur collars and floral embroidery layer in a familiar sense of drama, both romantic and unapologetic.
If restraint was ever the intention, it is swiftly abandoned in the accessories. Crystal earrings, embellished belts, pearled necklaces and exaggerated sunglasses crowd the frame, culminating in the return of the house’s rockstuds—freshly reintroduced and already culturally primed following their cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2 trailer.
In the end, Pre-Fall ’26 reads less as an exercise in minimalism and more as a recalibration: Michele momentarily inhales, only to exhale a vision that reasserts Valentino’s flair for glamour, excess and theatrical romance—undiminished, merely reframed.
Standing Room Magazine. 