Valentino Spring Summer 2026 “Fireflies”. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo Courtesy: Valentino.

The show notes read like a minor thesis in post-war Italian philosophy — Pasolini, fascism, fireflies, Georges Didi-Huberman, and a long-winded meditation on the perils of cultural standardization. It was all there: gloom, longing, and a desperate plea to “reawaken the gaze.” Aesthetic idealism drenched in pseudo-political poetry.

But behind all the candlelit metaphors, something else flickered — clarity.

This Spring Summer 2026 collection marked a shift for Alessandro Michele. For the first time since stepping into the house, he looked not into his own ornate obsessions, but into the Valentino archive. The result was far more restrained, disciplined, and — dare we say it — Valentino.

Gone were the costumey layers and cryptic maximalism. Instead, the silhouettes revealed an architectonic elegance, a throwback to the sleek couture codes laid down by Valentino Garavani himself. The softness returned — not as fragility, but as tension controlled.

The Looks

The black and white mini handbags was, quite literally, a Chanel classic with a Valentino logo slapped on top. Michele’s obsession with Chanel — evident in past collections — finally crossed into appropriation. Some looks were competent, even pretty, but borrowed. And Valentino was never a borrower.

One of the standout moments came early: a dusty pink draped gown, sliced with a sharp vertical slit at the chest, cinched at the hip with a sculptural black bow, from which burst a golden silk panel in mustard yellow. A strange composition on paper — but on the runway, it worked. The oddity of the palette was softened by the fluidity of the draping. It had the theatrical instinct of Michele, but the line and discipline of Garavani. A reconciliation.

A blood-red satin gown followed, precise in construction and quietly seductive. The shoulder line, the sleeves, the careful ruching — all textbook Valentino. It spoke in the language of elegance without effort, recalling an era where glamour was implicit, not performed.

One of the more sculptural exits came in the form of a black tailored pantsuit, interrupted only by a cascade of sunlit yellow pleats sliced across the torso. It was sharp, almost abrupt — a couture riff on utility dressing. The look was accessorized with a fan-shaped clutch and studded bangles, slightly surreal, as if Elsa Schiaparelli whispered from backstage. It wasn’t romantic, but it was graphic — a reminder that Michele is still playing with tension, not surrendering to it.

Another day look juxtaposed sheer romance with a sterile zip: a blush polka-dot blouse with billowed sleeves, oversized white cuffs and a black bow at the collar — one of many bows that strutted the runway this season like a parade of signatures. Valentino’s bows are no longer sweet; under Michele, they’re deliberate, confrontational, even architectural. This one was anchored to a sharp lemon pencil skirt — zipped to the waist, slit through the center. It was a contradiction dressed up as a statement.

A coral pink mini-dress followed — ruched front to back, hemmed in little gathers, and again, tied with a stiff neck bow that felt more emblem than embellishment. The silhouette was borrowed from 1960s Valentino cocktail dresses, but Michele added enough disruption in the construction to prevent nostalgia. It’s retrofuturism, not vintage.

The bows returned again — this time, centered atop a sculpted ivory mini coat-dress worn with floral tights and red velvet heels. There was something knowingly cinematic in this look — French New Wave meets Roman Holiday. The proportions were careful, the attitude more confident than coquettish.

Eveningwear landed with a bang in electric blue. A long-sleeved satin gown hugged and twisted around the model’s body, ending in soft draping and a structured high collar flanked by white leather petals — somewhere between orchid and weapon. This was Michele’s idea of softness: dangerous, engineered, and entirely anti-fantasy.

Finally, a black-and-white gown made its entrance — deep V neckline, sheer chiffon panels, architectural contrast. This was the house code restored. Nothing superfluous. Just tension, silhouette, and control. The ghost of Garavani — or at least his tailor — hovered here.

Reflection

What this collection confirmed is simple: when Michele steps away from the costume box and engages with heritage, he can deliver something compelling. His narrative voice is still loud — perhaps too loud — but his tailoring is learning to whisper again. The result is not yet a renaissance, but a reorientation.

Valentino Spring Summer 2026 is not revolutionary, nor poetic in the ways the show notes would like to insist. But it is restrained, polished, and — in certain moments — worthy of the house it now carries.

The fireflies haven’t disappeared, as Michele fears. They’ve just learned to fly in formation.

See All Looks Valentino Spring Summer 2026