Maison Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli has always considered color a powerful channel of immediate and direct communication – consistently utilized to recalibrate perception, reappraising form, and function. For the Valentino Le Noir Fall/Winter 2024-25 collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli reconsiders Valentino through the lens of black – here representative not of an absence of color, nor an exercise in monochrome or monotone, but rather the discovery of an entire spectrum of shades, infinitely nuanced, within one.

I want to honor my mother, who passed away on February 20th after a brave battle with illness over the last four years. In my culture, we wear black for one year to mourn, but since my mother was a very forward-thinking woman, I want to honor her fashionably. Grieving is personal, and the Valentino Le Noir collection is a perfect way to pay homage to my mother’s spirit of individuality.

The Le Noir collection, with its beautifully cut dresses, lace pieces, and bags, is simple, dignified, and chic, just like my mother. While grieving may not seem connected to fashion, for my mother, who was a visual person, it is a meaningful way to honor her. Valentino’s all-black collection is a testament to how elegant and powerful black can be.

Piccioli has consistently challenged traditional views of femininity, playing with feminine brand signifiers like rosettes, ruffles, and lace while also incorporating classic tailoring, all in the everyday hue of black. For Fall 2024, Piccioli has chosen monochrome as a theme. Black in its most profound meaning.

Images via Valentino