Alessandro Michele marked his first Valentino catwalk show since the death of founder Valentino Garavani with a tribute in Rome, the city where Garavani lived, worked, and passed away. Known for his vision of jet-set glamour, Garavani created beautiful clothes for women who could afford them, leaving behind a legacy of elegance and sophistication. Michele, who took over Valentino in 2024, said the show reflected the “complicated DNA” of the brand. “Beauty is always changing,” he explained after presenting the autumn/winter collection at the 17th-century Palazzo Barberini. “This collection is about Valentino. It’s about beauty. But it’s also about the tension between me and the brand, a beauty I’m trying to translate.” The collection featured lace-dipped hems, draped tunics cinched with satin sash belts, and jewel-like hues in rich green, plum, and lilac. Michele’s designs, which previously placed Harry Styles in pearls at Gucci, combine eccentricity with historical references. For Valentino, he turned partly to his mother and the 1980s, a decade he describes as a “time of positivity and shiny things,” when women gained new control over their presence and bodies. Jeans were tight and spray-on, paired with sheer lilac tights, while oversized jewellery and cuffs reflected Michele’s costume training from the Academy of Costume and Fashion in Rome. The final look, a long Valentino-red gown with a low back, honored Garavani’s signature style and brought the show full circle. Rome was a symbolic choice. Garavani met Elizabeth Taylor there while she filmed Cleopatra and persuaded her to wear a Valentino dress for the premiere. He also began a lifelong friendship with Sophia Loren, who wore Valentino when receiving her honorary Oscar in 1991. Garavani helped bridge Italian fashion and Hollywood, dressing numerous Oscar-winning actresses and introducing vintage couture to the red carpet, including Julia Roberts in 2001. Michele inherits a brand long in the shadow of Dior and Saint Laurent. He previously turned Gucci into a retro, eccentric empire valued at £7.5 billion. Now, under the ownership of Kering, which is acquiring Valentino, Michele aims to do the same while staying true to the brand’s history. “It’s a strange moment, working in fashion, when there is a war outside, it’s not easy,” Michele said backstage. “But I can do this, and nothing else.” His autumn/winter collection shows that Valentino’s timeless focus on beauty can evolve without losing its soul.