The former creative director of Gucci on taking the reins of Valentino Garavani’s atelier — and why turning the house into another fashion giant would be a disaster

Today at Paris Fashion Week, Alessandro Michele set his Valentino fall/winter 2025 show on a Lynchian red-lit set that was part locker room, part club bathroom (complete with flashing lights). It served as quite the photo-op backdrop for VIP guests,

Jared Leto almost hit the runway for Sunday's Valentino show, but in the end the actor stayed as part of the audience in his runway-ready look. Key to that was a fringed sash that tied cummerbund-style at the waist,

The creative director held the house’s Fall show inside a dystopian, David Lynchian reconstruction of a public bathroom. The space was awash in a red light, and the walls were flanked by basic sinks and mirrors as well as doors to toilet stalls.