Valentino SS/14; Paris Fashion Week

With my absence of blog posts of late, what a better place to catch up than with my favourite Spring Summer 2014 collection? Valentino never fail to create awe-inspiring intricate showstoppers to which the most recent catwalk show was no exception! All catwalk imagery on this post is from vogue.co.uk where you can find more pieces from this collection and great quality up close imagery of surface textures and accessories.

I absolutely love this entire collection; the embroidery/ lace work and patterning is exquisite and definitely warrants the high designer price, if I had the money I wouldn't hesitate to splash out on one of these stunning dresses. The ethnic influences and folky nature of each creation builds upon and creates a new dimension to what we already perceive in pattern and embroidery. In my opinion there are essences of Aztec patterns, Victorian silhouettes and Roman style which really set this collection apart for Spring/Summer 14 whilst continuing the great legacy of Valentino.

I also find it really refreshing that Valentino haven't entirely ruled out autumnal tones and longer clothing as most of us like to still cover up in Spring, well especially with the UK weather! The accessories include; coloured tassle bags, statement necklaces, brooches and thong sandals. I love the necklaces that appear throughout this collection, they are a kind of wrap around style which remind me of lion chain necklaces that are quite popular at the moment but with different pendants and the chain wraps around the neck a few times which I really like the style of, they also look great against the high-neckline garments.

It's a dream of mine to one day attend a Valentino show; his creations translate so well both online and on paper so I cannot even begin to imagine how they look in real life, not to mention the atmosphere and staging of the show. 

In reality, at the moment I will second for second best; sourcing high street alternatives that are somewhat similar to certain characteristics of the Valentino collection. Here are a few high street pieces I've assembled to emulate Valentino at PFW.

River Island Fluro Stone & Ribbon Statement Necklace // River Island Black Fluro Embroidered Skater Skirt // Romwe Retro Floral Short Padded Jacket // ASOS Embroidered Across Body Bag with Pom Poms // ASOS Petite Exclusive Skater Dress with Embroidered Detail and Cut Out Back

Although they will never come close to the Valentino masterpieces, I love these high street pieces! The colour pallette of them and some of the patterns mimic some of the Valentino designs. I've had my eye on the Romwe jacket for a while now but I need to get my act together and decide whether it's worth the investment before it sells out. I get paid later this week so it might become a cheeky purchase! Also I found this ASOS dress today which is beautifully fitted, I'm not one usually to like V necks but the embroidery detail creates a lovely silhouette and shape!

What are your favourite pieces from the Valentino collection? 

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