Inside Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Debut: Cruise 2025's Roman Elegance

After Pierpaolo Piccioli departed his long-held position as creative director at Valentino in March, speculation on his successor commenced immediately. But for the Italian fashion house born in Rome, there was only one clear candidate to take up the mantle: Alessandro Michele. After two decades in Milan as a creative force at Gucci (where he honed in on his unique, identifiable style), the time came for the designer to return home to Rome. 

“I know what women want. They want to be beautiful,” Valentino Garavani famously said. Michele, too, knows what women want, and through his decades of experience as a visionary designer, he has found Garavani’s original hypothesis still rings true for his work.

Michele shocked the fashion world earlier this year after moving up his debut collection—originally slated for September’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection—by releasing the Valentino Cruise 2025 in June. The expansive line has more than 170 looks. Infused with a retro-inspired glamour, each style is an effortless blend of details that pull from Valentino’s signature codes and Michele’s eccentric touch. 

Through prim bow-toed kitten heels, generously pearled jewelry, ruffle-collared chiffon blouses, and fur-trimmed overcoats, Michele’s vision of timeless Roman elegance comes to life. Playful polka dots, sleek V-monogrammed handbags, and gentle pastels touch on the late 1960s, early ‘70s, and especially Valentino’s more opulent ‘80s, which Michele will continue to explore in future collections.

Michele never compromises, and future collections are sure to exude this same ultra-cool, vintage-inspired allure.