The response to Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli's fall 2009 couture collection for Valentino has been mixed. Though critics seem pleased the design duo finally took the label in a new direction, rather than reproducing Valentino's archives, the collection hasn't been wholly heralded. Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn just posted her response: "Ms. Chiuri and Mr. Piccioli designed accessories at Valentino before they were elevated. After this collection, I’m not convinced they are dress designers. Plainly their intention was to make something new and young, but these clothes remain concepts on paper. They have no feeling for the actuality of life, no sense of a lived experience, and frankly I’d be worried about getting too close to one of those prickly, encrusted numbers. You might get a rash."
[On the Runway/NYT]