Valentino: What a stud

Who would have ever thought that Valentino, the king of elegance and the color red, would go punk?

But that’s precisely the direction in which his successors have taken his company — for a few seasons, anyway. Current designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, who designed Valentino’s accessories for 10 years before taking over the fashion house as creative directors, are interpreting the master’s style for this modern age, and the results have been bona-fide hits.

It’s raining studs in Valentino’s fall 2013 accessories collection (no surprise since Valentino fondly regards the pair as “punk Londoners” even though they’re pure Italian), and the key bags — the Rockstud and Vavavoom — have become the brand’s new icons. And in the Philippines, they’re only available at Adora.

Sarah Jessica Parker walks around New York City with a petite version of the Vavavoom slung across her body.

Jennifer Lopez went to a Paris event clutching the Vavavoom the way it was meant to be clutched: with her hand down the front of the bag’s studded strap.

Jessica Alba has gone full Valentino on occasion, wearing a Valentino jumpsuit from the pre-fall 2013/2014 collection while carrying the liberally studded Rockstud evening bag.

In NYC, Australian model (and Orlando Bloom’s wife) Miranda Kerr was spotted walking around town with a Marine Rockstud tote in the crook of her arm.

Chiuri and Piccioli obviously have no qualms about breaking fashion rules, mingling streetwear with couture, or clashing punk versus palazzo. But while they specialize in these high-voltage contrasts, there’s no getting away from Valentino’s heritage, which lies in couture and craftsmanship.

Even the most high-tech-looking Valentino bag passes through the hands of five trained artisans: the patternmaker, cutter, preparer, assembler and stitcher. In the case of the Rockstud, it takes about four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half hours to make one tote, and only five bags are typically finished in a day.

The leather is cut by hand or by laser. The edges of every strap are meticulously painted and finished. Buckles are sewn on by hand. Each stud is manually punched in — no joke since Rockstuds are studded all over. The leather straps are then woven into a lattice, which are assembled, glued, hammered and stitched to make the body of the bag. The finished product is lovingly wrapped in tissue and placed in a cloth pouch before it goes into a Valentino box. All Rockstud bags are made of genuine Italian leather; even the studs are sourced from Italy.

Meanwhile, a new style has been added to the Vavavoom line, which isn’t studded all over like the Rockstud but features one prominent macro-stud detail. A double-handled bag in vitello (calf) leather functions as the perfect, everyday bag to carry a woman’s essentials. It features a detachable chain strap you can use to turn it into a shoulder bag, like SJP does, or take off if you want to carry it by the top handles. Protective “feet” guard it from less-than-pristine surfaces. Other features include a double slide zipper for easy opening, a cotton twill-lined interior with an open pocket that works well for your cellphone, and a zip pocket for items you want to keep secure. Available in five colors — Nero, Rosso V., Rouge, light ivory and Marine — each bag bears Valentino’s gold logo stamped on the back.

Crystal pavé motifs encrust the metal studs of the Rockstud Bal. They also run around the bracelet handles on the wide clutches, and illuminate the clasps on the tiny, sculptural minaudiere bags. Simple yet bold lacquer studs make their point on the Punkouture patent leather bags that come in ivory, black and red.

Considering the amount of work that goes into each bag, it’s apparent that couture workmanship and artisan craftsmanship remain the essence of Valentino, and is intrinsic in the DNA of each piece.

It’s a formula that has also proven successful. In the past couple of years Valentino’s accessories division has really taken off, with accessories accounting for half the sales in some stores.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, when Chiuri and Piccioli were sometimes late delivering the accessories for the Paris shows, Valentino was understandably furious, but Piccioli would assuage him with the bags’ sales figures. “’He would always ask how much money we made with the bags,’ recalls Piccioli with amusement. “When I would answer something like $20 million, Valentino would say, ‘Good, good. I did $25 million.’”

Now, those are some rock-star bags.

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Valentino bags are only available at Adora in Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati.