You could easily imagine Lee Radziwill - longtime muse and friend to Giambattista Valli, who sat front row at his show - in many of the looks the designer showed today. Lee of now and Lee of earlier times. She'd wear the long and lean trouser and tunic combos, for example, in a matching zig zag pattern, with one of the luscious fur coats thrown on top (although Lee would never do anything as vulgar as throw her coat on, she'd calmly place it upon her little shoulders) to dinner in Paris. Similarly, you could imagine her in any of the sixties chiffon dresses with floral appliqués and poet ruffled collars. Or the sequin-striped shifts to paint the town red. Or that flippy red skirt with the sequined camel knit for lunch with Jackie in New York in the seventies. I'm not sure she would have gone for the knee-high gladiator sandal boots, but then maybe on a crazy summer in the Greek islands away from the paparazzi...
That Valli can design a collection that would appeal to both Madame Radziwill's set and their equivalent today is an achievement that shouldn't be underestimated. Today's collection was both undeniable elegant and chic and really good fun - those bright gold sequinned white trousers? They're fun. The cut-out doily lace mini dress with ruffles along the shoulders? So sweet. Although the pinched puffy shoulders were a little stiff, the rest of the collection breezed past.
