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Divas are synonymous of Valentino; there is no red carpet without Valentino, from Oscars to Golden Globes or Emmys, for decades the rich and famous, the most iconic actresses and artists had shown their most elegant and sophisticated looks made by the last fashion emperor.

“Forever Valentino” is the largest exhibition to date featuring over 200 Valentino Haute Couture pieces and prêt-à-porter outfits; presented on mannequins accompanied by accessories and fashion objects displayed in an immersive scenography. A major perspective exhibition that pays homage to its founder Valentino Garavani for his 90^th birthday. This is a true representation of the Maison’s six decades-long history, hard work and great talent. A successful completion of the most refined Haute Couture and a proclamation of the brand’s presence in the fashion world.

“Forever Valentino” puts together an illusory image of The Eternal City, guiding visitors through different areas and intimate spaces like the storied archives of the Maison, and the fitting salons in the legendary headquarters of Piazza Mignanelli.

The starting point of the exhibition is a recreation of Valentino’s home in Rome, his heart, The Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli. The internal courtyard is represented with a resin version of the Centurion’s Spring artwork; elevated in its center and surrounded by perfectly placed red dresses on a squared staircase platform descending around it. In fact, most of the attention here is drawn to the Rosso Valentino or Valentino red; a color that has written its own chapter in fashion history and had been always associated with the designer’s different representations and shades of the color throughout the years.

Then, just after this room, you arrive at Beginnings, an intimate space representing the fitting room of The Palazzo still used nowadays in the creative process, a very romantic little area with great meaning; representing the very beginning of the collections and Valentino himself. Original sketches and Haute Couture toiles on mannequins remind us of the journey that each garment goes through; from a simple illusion in the designer’s mind to becoming a unique masterpiece.

At Des Ateliers, a double room flawlessly blends mannequins and hangers presenting unique, unforgettable pieces of different designs from Valentino Garavani and Pierpaolo Piccioli. A more colorful collection stands out in this space to bewitch visitors through exceptional materials like chiffon, Cady crepe, organza and the seamless embroideries with pearls, ostrich feathers, and rhinestones, just to mention some of the lavish materials that Valentino uses in its portrayal of excellence. You can’t expect less when you read the names of the famous ladies that wore these majestic dresses during some of the most important events in their lives.

In painting, Capriccio Romano means an architectural fantasy where the style is unpredictable and as open as the imagination can be. Entering the next room is an unexpected surprise, you can’t help but feeling a dramatic state of mind, an elevation to an artistic level of creativity, like you entered a new dimension. In this space, Maison Valentino connects the clothes and the architecture through a black and white monochromatic motion of volumes and forms recreating classicism and modernity in a metaphor of Rome’s identity. Four dresses from Pier Paolo Piccioli’s 2020 Grace and Light Valentino Haute Couture collection are displayed emphasizing the seventh art, cinema, as a “modern Capriccio”. In the original presentation, the dresses were used as canvases to project films as another way of showcasing plastic art movement.

Maison Valentino has always dressed exceptional women; from the 60’s the iconic evening dresses of the brand stood out for their Italian beautiful design, richness and timeless romanticism. Diva means goddess in Latin, but in this room Pier Paolo Piccioli captivates the public through language and its own representation of the word as “Different Values”. His DI. VAs are strong, empowered and empowering women that use their fame to express and change the world around them, and their fashion is an important part in the process. Here we can see some of the most celebrated dresses, designed for exceptional iconic women like: Elizabeth Taylor, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez or Lady Gaga.

When accessing the next room, everything is wrapped in the new Valentino Pink PP color, an intense shade of Magenta that merges garments and interior decoration in a futuristic monochromatic chamber full of screens recreating Valentino’s Fall/Winter 2022 ready-to-wear show in Paris. And then, when you are completely caught up in the sensational magenta world; a big elevator opens like you were taking off into space! But suddenly, when arriving to the second floor, you feel you went back in time to the mid-sixteenth-century in Europe. The Wunderkammer or “cabinet of curiosities” immerses visitors in a room full of accessories made of sophisticated materials inspired in natural elements; objects of superstition and science from different cultures. Headpieces in silk and feathers, amazing metal minaudieres, face masks and necklaces complete the extravaganza of this interesting display.

Archaeologies bring the archives of the fashion house back to life to celebrate the victorious designs that were never part of the past but a declaration of the future. In his work journey Pier Paolo Piccioli’s maintains a continual dialogue with the historical records found at Valentino’s home, unveiling the heritage of the Maison through selected pieces from five decades; displayed in drawers or cases waiting for the visitors to fall in love with each garment, with each detail.

At the end of our journey, at the Roman Conversations space, a sublime display of creativity is interpreted on a podium where over fifty Haute Couture ensembles are shown as part of the permanent dialogue between Valentino Garavani and Picciolo; as a representation of one of the most emblematic landmarks of Rome, the Spanish Steps, that evokes some of Valentino’s most successful moments. Creativity meets immortality through color and perfect tailoring, a glimpse into the very heart of Rome and Valentino himself.

 

About The Curators

The show is curated by Massimiliano Gioni, artistic director of the New Museum New York, and the fashion critic and author Alexander Fury, working closely with Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli.

For more info, download the Forever Valentino APP.

When you visit Noor, you travel back in time almost without realizing it. Noor means “light” in Arabic and is a restaurant where nothing is left to chance. Each season, Paco Morales has managed to create a unique concept based on the cuisine of Al-Andalus. During his research, the chef did not doubt that working with real historians and scientists would develop what initially was the two Michelin stars chef chimera, inspired by the Spanish history itself.

After his flourishing period at the legendary restaurants El Bulli and Mugaritz, Paco Morales decided to launch Noor in his hometown of Cordoba. The restaurant hosts the most personal mark of its creator; the essence of his soul. During the 10th century, Cordoba was one of the largest cities in Europe and the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate of the West. Nowadays, Cordoba has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than anywhere in the world, with four.

As one approaches the area, the perspective of the city changes completely: The neighborhood is full of Andalusian houses (casas matas) embellished with an overwhelming amount of orange trees at every step. When you arrive at Noor, a contemporary façade with geometric patterns that mimic metal arrows tells you that your journey through time is beginning at that very moment. After completing the ritual of washing your hands with the aromatic orange blossom water in a darkened lobby; the staff opens the way to the main room of Noor, a space full of natural light, patterns and geometric shapes essential in Arabic art. The main room is crowned with a spiral-shaped wooden dome with ascending effect; allowing the light to penetrate delicately embellishing the culinary journey of the restaurant’s tasting menu. The open kitchen is a show set in motion, everything is orchestrated towards a single goal: absolute perfection in every dish and every bite.

At Noor, each season has been a reflection of the dedication of the chef and his team; who have managed to imagine the gastronomic vision and the culture of the centuries of Al-Andalus all the way to the “New World”. Paco Morales is poetically connecting the simplest ingredients with the most refined and sophisticated ones. An explosion of flavors on the palate will immerse you in time in an unparalleled experience where the gastronomic richness meets its most splendorous century. The excellent design of each dish is a combination of textures and dreamlike flavors, where fresh ingredients are put together to delight us with their juiciness and aroma, either in a crust, in the seasoning, in the mellow flavor or at the perfect cooking temperature that finally tastes like ambrosia. In the menu you can find “labne” with Kalamata, pumpkin dressing with vanilla, oysters with cucumber, hummus and kefir or pasta with eel, burnt lemon and black truffle. Moreover, natural shrimps are combined with endives and caviar seasoned with “Ras-Alhanout”; grilled sea bass with roasted cherries and the braised and rested pigeon with carob crust and sage. All that culminated with Ceuta lemon with mint sponge cake and 1001 nights dates, with orange blossom and jasmine water.

It would be remarkable to be able to describe each dish, the different crockery and the excellent pairing that composes this menu; but the experience that Noor offers is a privilege that cannot be explained with any written description, it is a journey back in time designed by the most contemporary signature cuisine and deserves great respect for its outstanding effort in quality and aesthetics. A must-visit for haute cuisine enthusiasts to fall in love with the heritage of the Arab world and its legacy in the very heart of Al-Andalus.

www.noorrestaurant.es