THE THINKER

AGAINST an uncharacteristically grey June Parisian sky, veined with fine clouds like marble, Pierpaolo Piccioli, the 52-year-old creative director of Valentino, crouches contemplatively, brow furrowed, chin resting on fist. He’s mimicking that famous Auguste Rodin sculpture The Thinker. A bronze cast is poised over his right shoulder in the gardens of Rodin’s former home on the outskirts of the city. It’s the day after Piccioli’s S/S 2020 menswear show and less than two weeks until his A/W 2019 haute couture show. Piccioli has plenty to think about.

That said, the pose is somewhat paradoxical. Not to say that Piccioli isn’t a thinker; his work is embedded with intellect, often referencing works of art and literature. The latter reflects his studies at Sapienza University of Rome in the 1980s,