Citing a fascination with lists, the Italian designer revealed the myriad inspirations in each of the 48 unique ensembles.

For his first haute couture collection for Valentino, Alessandro Michele dropped a stack of paper the size of a dissertation on each seat. Held together by a metal paper fastener were pages and pages of stream-of-consciousness lists. A random sampling: the description for look 37 included the sequence “petticoat, tundra, eschatology.”

Alessandro Michele’s first couture collection for Valentino reimagines the house’s legacy with rich historical references.