Pierpaolo Piccioli Finds the Light at Balenciaga

"Piccioli provided a third interpretation of the notion, not least in a cast that charted as one of the most diverse and all-encompassing of the entire season in terms of age, ethnicity and size inclusivity. Those are, of course, ideas deeply ingrained in Piccioli's creative psyche - a few years ago, in his prior incarnation as creative director of Valentino, he designed an haute couture collection specially engineered not for the stereotypical singular, rake-thin couture 'ideal', but a great swathe of divergent body types and sizes."

"Piccioli titled his collection ClairObscur, after the French term for one we borrow from his Italian, chiaroscuro. That said, France is actually where the idea originated, with seventeenth-century art critic Roger de Piles in his Débat sur le coloris - yet Piccioli's take was decidedly Mannerist, a great big old Roman pile-up of draped velvet dresses and grand swooping coats and face-framing sculptural collars, illuminated profiles projecting proudly."

Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his second Balenciaga collection titled ClairObscur, inspired by the artistic technique of chiaroscuro. Collaborating with filmmaker Sam Levinson, the show featured video screens displaying Euphoria cast members alongside dramatic landscapes. The collection showcased Mannerist-influenced designs including draped velvet dresses, sweeping coats, and sculptural collars in rich colors like watermelon, Goya green, and liturgical purple. Piccioli cast one of the season's most diverse lineups, reflecting his commitment to inclusivity across age, ethnicity, and size. This approach continues his philosophy from his Valentino tenure, where he designed haute couture for varied body types and featured models of color, challenging traditional fashion industry standards.

Read at AnOther