Courtesy of @soundvenue.
As the curved runway of the Place Vendôme faded to darkness for Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino Men’s AW20 runway show, celestial white beams zoned in on a shining figure. Engulfed in heavenly white light and draped in angelic mesh lace was FKA Twigs. While wearing a half-veil adorned with crystals (reminiscent of Piccioli’s recent haute couture Daydream show) that danced in the light, the star delivered an ethereal performance of “Cellophane” and “Mary Magdalene” from her sophomore album MAGDALENE. Accompanied by the crisp-sounding keys of a grand piano and the bassy purring of a cello, Twigs’ lyrics softly descended from her raised platform onto the runway.
Piccioli sent sharp, tailored looks down the runway with muted tones of black, burgundy and grey. As the models tensely walked beneath twigs, a stark visual contrast was created between dark botanical tones on the catwalk and the glittering singer. As she broke into the final refrain of “Cellophane”, the volume in her voice increasing, the emotional lyrics poured out of her, telling a tense story of injustice due to unrequited compromise: “Why won’t you do it for me/ When all I do is for you?”
Piccioli’s collection aimed to serve looks that showed how “the meaning of romanticism, today, is different” but if Twigs’ lyrics are anything to go by, the same issues surrounding compromise remain at the heart of romantic breakdowns.
Watch the entire performance below: