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Valentino’s Alessandro Michele shines from the heights of haute couture

Michele uses models in their 50s and 60s, saying ‘time provides grace’, while Giorgio Armani celebrates 20 years of Armani Privé

Michele became a star designer during his time at Gucci, but a new job at the house of Valentino has given him a shot at haute couture, the Champions League elite of fashion, where each dress is made to order with hundreds of hours of work, all done by hand. Photograph: Neil Mockford/GC ImagesDemi Moore, an Oscar frontrunner in the best actress category for her role in The Substance, was guest of honour in the front row, wearing a beaded jacket with sculpted hips and shoulders and black velvet trousers. Photograph: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty“Haute couture is where fashion becomes art,” said the designer, describing his references as “the shapes and colours of China, the landscapes of Polynesia … the opulence of India, the linear elegance of Japan and the decorum of northern Africa.”

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