The Valentino Autumn Winter 2013 collection read like a modern fairy tale, rife with romance, beauty and femininity. Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli drew inspiration from the paintings of Flemish masters, and it came through most clearly in the modest silhouettes and simple red, white, blue, and black colour palette. Schoolgirl shifts were adorned with embroidered lace dickies, cuffed long sleeves, crisp collars, and faux front pockets; and for evening, those same accents appeared on a range of floor-length gowns, providing a more subdued kind of elegance for the Valentino woman. It wasn't all stunning eveningwear, though. A youthful sensibility was introduced via shorter minidresses — finished with scalloped edges and subtle colour-blocking — and through slightly tougher leather-and-lace numbers. To finish, we saw the house's signature red come down the runway in an off-the-shoulder gown, along with a parade of insanely pretty blue gowns, either lace-covered, embroidered, tapestry-printed, or solid-hued. See it all here.
Just when you think 
