A Glimpse Into the Mind of Valentino’s Creative Genius Pierpaolo Piccioli

If you find yourself swooning over Valentino season after season, M2M.tv’s new “Art of Style” video is a must-see. The film, directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland, shows creative director Pierpaolo Picciolio divulge his inspirations, dreams, motivations, and more. The scope of his cultural references will impress, and his poetic musings will inspire. Below, a roundup of some of the video’s highlights. But the next time you have a 15-minute window to spare, we suggest giving this one a watch.

On creative inspirations…
Photographers: Carlo Mollino, Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Edward Steichen
“David Bailey to me is a hero—he does’t care who you are or what you do.”
Directors: Antonioni’s “La Notte” trilogy, Marcello Mastroianni, Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Medea” with Maria Callas costumes
Artists: Piero Della Francesca, Lucio Fontana, Caravaggio, Hieronymus Bosch
Colors: “Pink is punk — it’s not sweet.”
“Black is a state of mind…When I wear black, I’m thinking. Black can be everything.”
“White means innocence…If black is the starting point, white is the rival one.”

On his process: 
“I start with an idea of beauty, of the dreams I want to deliver…Drawings were a passion for me, but I understood that drawings were an instrument to express my ideas…Of course in this job, ideas are the key.”

Transitional moments as the inspiration for his last collection…
“The moment between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.”
“The moment between the late ’70s and early ’80s, the beginning of punk.”

On working alone…
“I understood that working alone meant to be even more naked. When you’re alone you can be really unfiltered, really emotional. It’s really…intense. If you are able to show your emotions and to be exactly as you are, I think this is a great strength.”

On fashion today…
“I don’t like the commercial side of fashion. You don’t need a new bag, a new item. You need new emotions and new dreams and that is what fashion is for.”

On dreams…
“My job is about delivering an idea of beauty for my times. Dreams are a super huge part of my work. I still dream a lot, because I think if you don’t dream, you can’t deliver dreams.”