Valentino's public toilet: the most fashionable place in Paris

Valentino's public toilet: the most fashionable place in Paris

Amidst the glittering parties and the prominent front rows of the Paris Fashion Week was the hottest ticket on Sunday afternoon in the French capital... a public bathroom. Or at least a venue designed like one.

A distinctive ambience

Celebrities including Barry Keoghan, Chappell Roan and Jared Leto posed for photos next to sinks outfitted with mirrors and wall-mounted soap dispensers. Fashion industry guests took their seats overlooking a row of toilet stalls before the sound of flushing signaled that the event had begun.

Valentino presents: “Le Méta-Théâtre Des Intimités”

This was Valentino's Fall-Winter 2025 show, where creative director Alessandro Michele transformed a Paris venue into an atmospheric bathroom, complete with tiled floors and ceiling lights. Models stepped out of (and sometimes disappeared into) replica booths, bathed in red light, wearing the designer's latest ready-to-wear creations.

A statement from Alessandro Michele

Michele called the presentation “Le Méta-Théâtre Des Intimités” and made a clear statement. He took over the reins of Valentino in March after two decades at Gucci. In his show notes, Michele described his set as a "dystopian, disturbing" space inspired by the late director David Lynch. Drawing on poets and philosophers such as Michel Foucault, Hannah Arendt and Mario Perniola, he explained that a public bathroom is a “counter-place” that erases the boundary between inside and outside, between the deeply intimate and the unavoidably public.

Innovative designs and political statements

Michèle's collection continued this idea. Underwear was worn over outerwear or revealed through sheer lace; a model in light-colored, very short shorts was followed by another dressed almost entirely in black; a high-fashion bathrobe was paired with a shirt and tie. What's more, everything from glittering evening gowns to voluminous winter coats—in materials ranging from cascading tulle to wispy faux fur—offered the kind of theatrics that fashion watchers have come to expect from a man who once trained as a costume designer.

A significant change for Valentino

This mix-and-match collection represented a significant shift from the classically elegant vision created by his predecessor Pierpaolo Piccioli. Piccioli had leaned heavily on the house's haute couture heritage, presenting all of his models in nearly identical bright pink hues at Paris Fashion Week three years ago.

A sensational political element

Michèle's vision could also be more overtly political than the brand is used to. Commenting on the debates over transgender-friendly bathrooms, Michèle's show notes suggested that his bathroom (in which androgynous-seeming models showcased both men's and women's clothing) "is proudly political because it has the ability to subvert any rigid binary classification."

A successful performance

This is only Michele's second ready-to-wear collection for the label, but the collection was well received by guests, who applauded and cheered for the designer as he took the stage before also disappearing into a booth.