Just when you thought fashion month was over, Alessandro Michele brought the fashion pack to Rome to unveil his Fall 2026 Valentino offering. The collection marked the 10th from the Italian designer, who was appointed Valentino creative director in March 2024, subsequent to the exit of the long-serving Pierpaolo Piccioli. Staged within Rome’s historic 17th-century Palazzo Barberini, the 84-piece collection marked the first since the passing of Valentino Garavani. The collection from Michele was concocted using the palette of Italian Renaissance painters, 80s-inspired draping, plenty of sparkle, and ultimately transported guests (including Gwyneth Paltrow) on a journey back to the house’s Roman roots.

Valentino Fall 2026 Collection Review

Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:

“I really want to defend him, but I can’t anymore. It looks like a Dynasty costume. Here, everything feels old. And the skinny jeans? Seriously?” [carla56]

“The collection feels like a step backwards compared to the previous season, very dusty and old-fashioned…and kinda boring. Nothing was screaming Valentino. Budget wasted.” [FashionPower]

“Very garish.” [Squizree]

“I despise his costumey BS. No one who has functioning brain cells wants to look like that in real life. It’s not aspirational.” [Thefrenchy]

“What a dreadful bore.” [YohjiAddict]

“Not surprised! This is what we can expect from Michele. I admire him for being consistent in his design, but his magic has faded because we’ve seen the same outfits over and over fot the past decade since Gucci. Nothing exciting but nothing bad either.” [upzillicious]

“I can’t hate it because there are many great items that I could wear for many seasons. I also felt like the evening wear was quite good.” [thiago]

“Say what you want about Michele’s Valentino, but that man makes gorgeous evening dresses.” [LadyJunon]

See all the looks from the Valentino Fall 2026 collection and click here to join the conversation.