Pierpaolo Piccioli: The Art of Dreaming in Couture – A Vogue Conversation
Beneath the bustling streets of King’s Cross, the Lightroom’s expansive subterranean chamber hums with anticipation. A diverse crowd—designers, photographers, students, and fashion devotees—filters into the four-screened space, each person taking their seat in reverent silence. Two empty chairs command the stage, poised for the arrival of two formidable figures: Pierpaolo Piccioli, the visionary Creative Director, and Laura Ingham, Vogue’s esteemed Deputy Director of the Fashion Global Network.
A crescendo of applause erupts as Piccioli strides in, dressed in a nonchalant yet effortlessly refined ensemble—a black blazer, sharply tailored trousers, and an ornate necklace adorned with a singular red stone, an emblem of his sartorial poetry. Ingham, radiant with excitement, mirrors the collective energy of the room as she takes her seat beside him.
As the audience stills, all eyes gravitate towards Piccioli, who exudes an unforced elegance. Fingers interlocked, he sinks into his chair, his presence magnetic, his aura quietly compelling. The Vogue Conversation begins, drawing us instantly into the depths of his creative odyssey.
His voice, rich with Italian inflection, transports us to India, where he recently embarked on a solo expedition. “I hate the idea of nostalgia,” he declares. “I only live to think about the present.” The screens flicker to life, illuminating a gallery of behind-the-scenes moments from Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2017 show—his first solo venture at the helm. Ethereal sketches, fabric swatches, and mood boards envelop the room as Piccioli speaks of romanticism, the renaissance of form, and the soul of his work. “It’s renaissance meets punk,” Ingham muses, her voice tinged with admiration. Piccioli interjects, his hands illustrating his words. “Clash,” he corrects. “It’s a clash.”
The dialogue meanders to the grandeur of the Spring/Summer 2018 Haute Couture collection, a spectacle of operatic proportions. The room is bathed in colour—rich carmine, verdant emerald, and electrifying fuchsia—as images of his couture creations unfold around us. When Ingham suggests the term ‘modern couture,’ Piccioli recoils, his discontent palpable yet poised. “I hate the idea of modern couture,” he asserts, his voice unwavering. “Couture is not about modernity. It is about humanity. It is about people.”
His philosophy is resolute—couture is the ultimate testament to human hands, a love letter to craftsmanship. He unveils the genesis of his design process, tracing its roots back to the atelier itself. “I start the looks after the people in the atelier, as a testament to the team,” he explains. A sentiment that lingers, heavy with meaning. He gazes at the audience, at his work, at the devotion embedded in each stitch. “You can dream altogether.”
Then, the screen dissolves into a celestial void of ivory. Valentino Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2020. Extreme couture. The silhouettes are sweeping, sculptural, devoid of colour—an artistic response to a world in isolation. Piccioli’s tone shifts, introspective. He recounts the silent solitude of lockdown, a period where even the dyeing of fabrics was rendered impossible. “The absence of colour reflects the absence of connection,” he reveals. The models, spaced a precise metre apart on the runway, serve as spectral echoes of a fractured reality. Fashion, he reminds us, is a time capsule—a mirror to the world it inhabits.
As the conversation reaches its coda, Piccioli delivers a final musing: “Immerse yourself in the present, facing the future.” His voice, measured and deliberate, hangs in the air like the closing note of a symphony. Ingham, along with the audience, is transfixed.
The screens fade to black, yet his words remain luminous. “Life is made of layers, like fashion.” And with that, we are left in a state of reverence, reminded once again of the ineffable magic that is Pierpaolo Piccioli’s world.
