Giambattista Valli : Spring 2016 Couture

Wouldn’t you have a spring in your step if your gladiator sandals were cushioned with a layer of disco glitter?

The pretty young things traversing the huge carpet at the Giambattista Valli show certainly did, dressed in frisky A-line minidresses, or filmy chiffon gowns, all undulating layers of capes and ruffles.

This was a fine and focused outing for the designer, still smitten with the Sixties and early Seventies as he was for his second line — Giamba — shown in Milan.

This collection had the same youthful spirit, albeit with a more sophisticated approach to surface decoration, melding guipure lace, 3-D floral embroideries and smatterings of crystal.

There were nods to Courreges in white shift dresses, and a hint of Rue Cambon in snug cardigan jackets in sparkly silver tweeds, although matched with A-line miniskirts.

 Alternatives to the leggy look included elongated tunics with flared pants, which are becoming a Valli mainstay.

These, and the long dresses, came with disco shoes with sparkly block heels.

 Nothing revolutionary here — only pert, feminine clothes that scream the good life and yearn for a good time.