RUNWAY: Valentino FW17

Pierpaolo Piccioli's solo collections for Valentino have begun to show what kind of influence his former co-designer Maria Grazia Chiuri had on the collections. Valentino under Piccioli has been decidedly more egalitarian and less formal. Fall/Winter 2017 is a prime example: every outfit was shown with sneakers, even the final look, a tuxedo. The tailoring was also a little looser and pants were also noticeably more athletic minded, many of which looked like high end track pants. The outerwear was where the formal (and dapper) made cameos. Capes are still a thing at Valentino, like a rosy pink number, while the more traditional coats like peacoats and topcoats were looser with rounded shoulders. There was also nary a tie to be seen, instead most looks came accessorized with a comically skinny bowtie, as if Piccioli was poking fun at the notion of dressing up in today's world, where the writing is truly on the wall that the traditional suit-and-tie culture is fading out and fast. Valentino is just another prime example of high fashion reacting to this new reality in menswear.