Dinner dress

New York-based couturière Valentina prized creative independence from the Paris fashion industry and, indeed, created a singular style that was recognizably hers. Valentina’s designs are pragmatic, with both a timeless quality that allowed them to outlast seasonal trends and a structure that does not constrict movement or reshape the figure; they are technically superb, with precisely placed and carefully executed seams and finishing details; and they have undeniable allure, owing to the designer’s attentiveness to the individual wearer’s body. To flatter each figure she dressed, Valentina focused on simple lines, undisturbed by extraneous embellishment, as she equated “absolute simplicity” not with plainness but rather with modern glamour. This dinner dress exemplifies her striking but disciplined aesthetic, with its meticulously sewn but unadorned overskirt and bodice of sheer net that sensually grazes and subtly exposes the arms and décolletage.