Without question, Valentino’s creative director, Alessandro Michele knows how to deliver a viral runway moment. Having stepped into the position of creative director for Valentino last March, this is Michele’s first Fall/Winter collection for the house — and he spared no details in making it memorable. Having his models walk through a bright red public bathroom and move in and out of stalls created a unique backdrop that only Michele could use while also creating a dual narrative about fashion and self-expression. 

“We should know: no intimacy can ultimately undress us, no veil can be torn to put us before our true self,” Michele writes in the show’s notes. “Because the idea that there’s an authentic self, untouched by life and its determinations, is misleading.” 

Since his time as a creative director for Gucci from 2015 to 2022, Michele notoriously brings an eccentric creativity to his work that is signature to him. As reflected in his Spring/Summer 2025 collection, the fluffy extravagant collars and high necklines bring a lighter 1970s influence to the often heavier textiles at play, but a Lynchian undercurrent runs deep through Michele’s work. 

Even the runway soundtrack reflected this darker mood. Lana del Rey’s “Gods and Monsters,” both the original as well as a rave remix of the track, concluded the show. Large headbands with lace trim cover the models’ hair, along with other various forms of millinery. Fur trim on coats and lace tights show up again, as a call back to Michele’s previous Valentino work since he joined the brand a year ago. 

Valentino FW25 was presented at Paris Fashion Week, and drew an exclusive crowd, including a number of the stylish friends of the Valentino house. Pop princess Chappell Roan showed up in a show-stopping gown designed by Michele originally for Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture line. Actress Sophie Thatcher — who was recently seen wearing an ensemble from Valentino at Vanity Fair’s Oscar Party — was dressed in Valentino for the show in a sparkling mini dress from the brand’s Pre-Fall 2024 collection. 

Valentino Fall/Winter 2025, amidst its eccentricities, may be trying to tell a deeper truth about the fashion industry. In fashion, the surface tells everything the viewer needs to know, but even the surface contains depth — and in fashion, both dressing and “undressing” are important, as an attempt for brands like Valentino to reinvent and define their identity within a creatively crowded industry.