Alessandro Michele Is Building On Valentino’s Vision of Beauty

Last week, the fashion world lost a giant. Valentino Garavani, the Roman couturier who launched his label in 1960, died at 93. Alessandro Michele, the Creative Director of the maison, recalled Valentino as “almost a mythical figure.”

Michele joined Nicole Phelps last year on The Run-Through for a formidable conversation about his new life chez Valentino, just ahead of his Haute Couture debut.  Michele previously spent 21 years at Gucci, the last eight as creative director, where his maximalist, egalitarian vision of beauty was culture-shifting.

He talks about his approach to creativity, why he styles his own collections, how h...