Valentino showcases ethereal haute couture collection in Paris

By Miranda Alexander-Webber PARIS (Reuters) - Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli showcased his debut solo haute couture collection in Paris on Wednesday, presenting an ethereal spring/summer 2017 line. It is the first time Piccioli has designed the haute couture collection on his own, after his former creative partner Maria Grazia Chiuri became Dior's first female creative director. Chiuri debuted her Dior haute couture line in Paris on Monday. The simple and delicate Valentino collection by Piccioli included a rose, ruffled chiffon dress with a deep neckline and a mint long sleeve gown which gave an Olympian feel. Dreamy column dresses in straight, classical forms evoked a fairytale world with gentle, spring colors of ivory, pastel pink and clay-green. Billowing floor-length gowns embellished with flowers and sequins transformed the models into goddesses as they strolled along the catwalk to music composed by French film composer Alexandre Desplat. Valentino's show took place on the penultimate day of Paris Haute Couture Week, with the curtains drawing on the event on Thursday. (Reporting by Miranda Alexander-Webber in Paris; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)