Sandra‘s Closet

Breaking news today. Pierpaolo Piccioli is parting ways with Valentino after eight ears as the Roman couture house’s sole creative director, according to a company statement which called the move a «joint decision.»

With Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri in 2013.

Piccioli started his career at Valentino in 1999 where he oversaw accessories alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri. In 2007, the duo were handpicked by founder Valentino Garavani to lead the brand’s creative direction after his retirement. In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri left for Dior leaving Piccioli as the sole creative director. During his tenure, Piccioli’s haute couture collections rose to fame exuding a certain poetry, which is missing often in today’s fashion world. Outstanding proportions and bold colours were styled with a sophisticated, youthful edge, the same concept he applied to his beautiful ready-to-wear collections I have loved so much.

Beautiful memory: a handwritten note from Pierpaolo Picciolli and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

«Not all stories have a beginning or an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines so bright that it won’t produce any shadows,» said Piccioli. «I’ve been in this company for 25 years, and for 25 years I’ve existed and I’ve lived with the people who have woven the weaves of this beautiful story.»

Spread your wings and fly like me in Valentino S/S 2020.

A new creative configuration will be announced soon, the statement said.

«I am grateful to Pierpaolo for his role as creative director and for his vision, commitment and creativity that have brought the Maison Valentino to what it stands for today,» said Valentino chief executive Jacopo Venturini.

For F/W 2022 Pierpaolo created its own color Pink PP.
For the full look, click here.

«We extend our deepest gratitude to Pierpaolo for writing an important chapter in the history of the Maison Valentino,» added Rachid Mohamed Rachid, Valentino chairman and chief executive of owner Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which controls Valentino.

Last year, Kering acquired 30 percent of Valentino for €1.7 billion – implying a valuation worth of €5 billion – as part of a broader partnership with Mayhoola. The agreement gave Kering the option to acquire 100 percent of Valentino «no later than 2028».

Pierpaolo walking his last finale for Valentino F/W 2024 earlier in March.

In 2023, former Valentino ready-to-wear director Sabato De Sarno’s departed to lead the designs at Gucci. The fashion wheel is turning and some big names are still out there, such as Alessandro Michele and Sarah Burton. In addition Givenchy and Lanvin are all currently missing a designer and Dries van Noten also announced this week that he is stepping down from his own brand.

Piccioli presented a black on black manifesto for F/W 2024 in Paris this month – probably a sign of his departure …

Thank you, Pierpaolo, for all your magic!

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and © Valentino
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This was the outfit that I wore to the MAC Bubbles and Bows Party at Kraftwerk in Zurich. The Valentino Pink PP collection is one of my favorites off all time and it was the perfect match for the theme of the night. Time to glam up!

And by the way this is not my last all pink look… stay tuned.

My look: Silk-moiré mini shirt dress, silk-moiré shorts, bow-detailed wool and silk-blend crepe bralette, wool-blend cape, One Stud mini leather shoulder bag, stretch-knit tights, VLogo signature earrings, and Discobox 180mm platform pumps, all by Valentino.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht / David Biedert Photography
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise!

Before showing you the details of one of my favorite outfits for F/W 2022, I would like to take you to the moment when it all started. In March 2022, I attended the Valentino F/W 2022 presentation. The invite, created with artist and writer Douglas Coupland, was beautifully done in pink and my gut feeling told me to wear something in this color family.

Beautiful show invitation and surprises from Valentino

The moment I entered the show location at Carreau du Temple in Paris, I perfectly blended in. The hall was decorated in all pink – giving the audience a hint of what would be coming up. However, I think nobody would have expected the full spectrum.

Details of my look coming up shortly… it’s all Valentino from different seasons.

For Valentino‘s F/W 2022 collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli focused on a single color, hot pink. A shade, developed in collaboration with Pantone, and exclusive to Valentino, so catchy and energetic that it deserves its own name, Valentino Pink PP. Right before the show started, Zendaya, the Maison’s muse, arrived in a pink power suit with floral appliqués from the new collection. The American star is also the face of the Valentino Pink PP Collection campaign.

For the designer, «it was a monochromatic journey into the realm of possibility.» Every look on his runway was pink or it was black. Needless to stay, the vibrant fuchsia tone stole the show. The Pink PP collection emphasized textures, materials, and precious items details.

Radical. Monochromatic. Beautiful. Valentino’s La vie en rose presented couture and oversized silhouettes created with interesting materials, from silk faille, to silky wool, to feather embellishments Piccoli is known for. Jumpsuits with graphic necklines, cargo trousers, transparent blouses, knitwear made with sequins, 3D floral embellishments, cut-out bustiers, and spectacular dresses encrusted with crystals, flowers and/or bows. The looks were completed by full-length tights in the respective color and vertiginous platforms, that gave the impression of ultra long legs. Something we all want.

Thus Valentino moved from the signature red to pink and that translated also into the labels and shopping bags this season. The collection has been ultra successful so far, selling out like crazy.

My favorite dress from the collection. It was love at first sight when I saw it on the runway (left) and the next day in the showroom(right).

When you buy a Valentino Pink PP piece, each item will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (available only for pink items) to celebrate its unique identity.

Pink PP charisma takes the globe. The Maison celebrates the new Valentino Pink PP collection, making its mark with installations in cities around the world. I shot my first look (yep, I got many… this collection is too good!) in front of the store at 27 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, that was wrapped all in pink during Paris Fashion Week.

Landed in pink paradise when I visited the showroom the next day to see everything close up.

Below you can see more impressions from the show, my showroom visit and some of the celebrities who attended the runway show.

LoL, Sandra

American actress Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical )

Gilda Ambrosio (The Attico – a brand I love)

My lovely host Libby Page, Market Director at NET-A-PORTER

Obsessed with these heels!

Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and Courtesy of Valentino 
DISCLOSURE: We may earn commission from links on this page, but I only recommend products I love. Promise.