There’s something special about finally being able to shop in-person again, getting lost in a big department store among all the beautiful things. As a fashion nerd, seeing a designer collection on my phone screen is one thing, but actually seeing and touching it is particularly exciting.
On Thursday, Bergdorf Goodman debuted a new Valentino installation on the 2nd floor. The installation features mannequins wearing the latest collection, shown last September in the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, in a makeshift theater they’ve built and outfit in the store.
After the pandemic, “reopening a theater, even though only for the span of a show, is a bold, almost punk gesture,” the brand said in the show notes last year.
The Act Collection — think graphic capes, cut-out cashmere sweaters paired with teeny tiny shorts, and sweeping checkered coats — was originally shown on models strutting down a wide-open stage with no physical audience. The installation is Valentino’s mini version of a theater.
To celebrate the collection coming Stateside, Bergdorf Goodman’s Linda Fargo cohosted an intimate dinner with Emily Ratajkowski at its restaurant looking out high above Central Park. The lucky few guests, including Ziwe and model Imaan Hammam, also got to listen to an excerpt from new author Ratajkowski, who shared an advance reading of her upcoming book of essays, My Body.
The installation will be open for the next two weeks.
