Frivolousness is not useless” says the newly installed Valentino creative director in his first runway show that brimmed with possibility.

It’s been a while!” said Alessandro Michele with a chuckle on Sunday afternoon in Paris. The designer was holding a press conference following his Valentino debut, which marked the ex-Gucci maestro’s eagerly anticipated return to fashion and his first runway show in two years.

Michele channeled the founder's unbridled opulence with an eclectic collection that resurfaced many of his own obsessions.