Valentino fashion gems head to Australia
Fashion designer Valentino with actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Picture: AP/LUCA BRUNO
Fashion gems from the House of Valentino will be on display in Australia in what is being hailed as an "extraordinary exhibition".
Queensland Art Gallery director Tony Ellwood said the Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future incorporated a stunning array of Valentino Garavani's haute couture designs from the late 1950s to his final collection in January 2008.
The exhibition - on display at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art from August 7 to November 14 - will also feature five recent creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, who were appointed in late 2008 as creative directors for Valentino.
The recent designs aim to highlight the future direction of the esteemed fashion house.
Valentino was the first couture house outside of Paris to be officially recognised by the French Government.
"The retrospective of 100 ensembles includes some of the most important haute couture creations originally shown in the exhibition Valentino: Themes and Variations at Les Arts Dcoratifs, Paris, in 2008," Mr Ellwood said.
"The exhibition explores Valentino's techniques and recurring motifs such as ornamentation, the use of geometric and animal prints, frills, folds and pleats as well as the creative possibilities of volume, surface and line.
"Garments worn by Hollywood stars and high-society figures such as Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor and others will be displayed along with the stunning black and white gown Julia Roberts wore to the 73rd Academy Awards in 2001.
"In addition to a number of ensembles from Valentino's noted White Collection from 1968, the exhibition features a selection of signature Valentino red dresses, including one from the couturier's first collection, Fiesta - a strapless cocktail dress in draped tulle from Spring/Summer 1959."
The exhibition is being curated by Pamela Golbin, curator-in-chief for the Fashion and Textiles collection of Les Arts Dcoratifs.
"We are honoured to be the exclusive Australian venue for this extraordinary exhibition that will engage followers of Valentino and fashion lovers from all over the country," Mr Ellwood said.
A hardcover companion to the exhibition, published by Rizzoli, celebrates Valentino Garavani's 49-year career, focusing on his most important and emblematic haute couture designs.
