At Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026, Valentino returns to the fore with a collection that whispers rather than shouts, caresses rather than flaunts. The Maison presents a dialogue between body and matter, light and movement, on the runway, firmly reaffirming its identity without sacrificing experimentation.
The leitmotif of the collection is light—not just as a scenic effect, but as a textile substance. The dresses seem to float on the body: impalpable silks, organza, chiffon, liquid lamé, and cuts that leave room for air and movement. Each look is conceived as a second skin that reflects, amplifies, and protects.
White dominates, but is never absolute: it is contaminated by powdery hues, sand, pale gold, muted pinks, and, occasionally, vibrant touches of Valentino red. The workmanship is exquisite but never ostentatious. Transparencies are not provocative, but expressive: they reveal without showing off.
Key elements of the collection include:
- Deconstructed shirts with sculptural collars
- Midi and long dresses with essential lines
- Light capes that accompany the movement
- Oversized jewelry contrasts with ethereal fabrics
- Flat sandals and minimal ankle boots, for an effortless elegance
Behind this aesthetic narrative we can see Valentino's evolution towards an increasingly conceptual, yet accessible, fashion that places the focus on light as emotion and as visionThe show itself, set in a bare setting but enveloped in a warm, diffused light, transformed the catwalk into an almost dreamlike landscape.
It's not just a collection: it's a statement of intent. Valentino SS26 doesn't reinvent, but reimagines, drawing on its heritage to gracefully project itself into the future.
