Why Were the Stars at the Show Holding Books? Behind VALENTINO SS2027’s "Antilibrary" Concept
Turning “unread books” into fashion inspiration
Summary
- VALENTINO's Spring/Summer 2027 collection is themed "Antibiblioteca" (Anti-Library).
- The inspiration comes from those "unread books" on bookshelves, symbolizing the unknown and the potential for exploration.
- The brand invited guests to bring a book to the show, which will be donated to public libraries afterward.
- Alessandro Michele extends this concept of "the unknown" to the clothing, breaking the established boundaries between formal and casual wear.
Buying books only to let them stack up quietly on a shelf—this actually became the inspiration for the VALENTINO SS2027 collection! Creative director Alessandro Michele chose the theme “Antibiblioteca” (Antilibrary), drawing on Italian writer Umberto Eco’s concept of “unread books” and linking it to the Japanese culture of “Tsundoku” to rethink our relationship with the unknown.
Could “unread books” be more important than the ones we’ve read?
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If Tsundoku describes the state of buying books but not yet reading them, the Antilibrary focuses on the potential those unread books represent. They aren’t a waste; rather, they remind us how much of the world we still don’t know. To Alessandro Michele, the unknown—the things we have yet to understand and master—is exactly what is truly worth exploring.
For this show, guests were asked to bring a book instead of an It bag!
Images from IG / @maisonvalentino
VALENTINO brought this concept directly into the venue, inviting guests to bring a new book or a personal favorite and drop it into a transparent book bin to be donated to public libraries in Paris and other cities. Private shelf collections made their way into public spaces for more people to read, changing the standard fashion show question of “What are you wearing today?” to “What book did you bring today?”
Wearing the “Antilibrary”
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This imagination of the unknown extended to the clothes, where bright satin corsets, double-layered tops, rhinestone pencil skirts, and extra-long evening gowns met Alessandro Michele’s familiar feathers, giant bows, high-saturation colors, and graphic baseball caps. Glamour and the everyday, formal and casual were mixed together once again. Like the unopened books on a shelf, each piece seems to hide more than one interpretation. What matters isn’t what you already know, but what you’re willing to open next.
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Join Popbee Circle and subscribe to the Popbee newsletter for real-time updates and early access to exclusive perks and discounts! Besides this article, here are a few other recent stories worth checking out:
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