Valentino offers a sartorial alternative to your work place
Working in a corporate setting often
mandates a strictly regulated dress code. But they do not need to be monochrome and
unimaginative. So, trust Valentino creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and
Pierpaolo Piccioli to transform the workhorse parka into a style statement with
graphic patterns and geometric prints. We
can only describe it as “showtime” as the duo turned to Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets
Russes for inspiration for their latest collection.
Considered by many to be the greatest
theatre producer who ever lived till his death in 1929, the prodigious Russian prompted
cultural experimentation and good-natured pomp and flamboyance with spectacles
such as The Rite of Spring and Le Spectre de la Rose. Coco Chanel is a
BFF, while Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier paid
tribute through their fall/winter collections in separate decades.
Cube Mentality
There is a definite buzz of excitement
as Diaghilev’s muse Pablo Picasso and Leon Bakst frolic on fabric that
highlights blooming flowers decorating typically unadorned lapels. Australian artist Esther Stewart’s take on patchwork
and shapes, in addition to blazers trampled with herringbone skid marks is a
triumph in any stifling boardroom. Witness the gorgeous textured jackets that
look like axed designs rescued from conservative vaults.
Think intentionally overstated; embrace big coloured-pockets and industrial PVC zippers. We have a soft spot for coats with winterised camo print, its military chic and worth the investment. It strikes an ideal between corporate cool and urban hip. Wear it during outdoor and indoor pursuits alike, or take it to GSC and pretend to be a Slavic Tsar at the Gold Class lounge with your entourage.
Excessive
Theatre
The new length for pants still hit
just about the ankle; but try also a little drape when paring cigarette
trousers with sneakers on a casual Friday – pin-rolling your cuff is so 2014,
so consider your options when bearing a little skin. The Italian label is setting before us an
array of cleverly conceived amendments to classics that are useful and utterly
desirable.
So, stir up colour-envy by taking
the plunge with corporate attire that boasts a trippy Carolina blue trench (with
leather and 3M reflective pockets, no less) as your new go-with-anything
staple. That’ll show them who’s in charge. Not to mention that Zoolander and Hansen decided to show up during the ladies' show to mix things up a tad.