Alessandro Michele Is Building On Valentino’s Vision of Beauty
The Run-Through with Vogue
Vogue
4.1 • 764 Ratings
🗓️ 27 January 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Last week, the fashion world lost a giant. Valentino Garavani, the Roman couturier who launched his label in 1960, died at 93. Alessandro Michele, the Creative Director of the maison, recalled Valentino as “almost a mythical figure.”
Michele joined Nicole Phelps last year on The Run-Through for a formidable conversation about his new life chez Valentino, just ahead of his Haute Couture debut. Michele previously spent 21 years at Gucci, the last eight as creative director, where his maximalist, egalitarian vision of beauty was culture-shifting.
He talks about his approach to creativity, why he styles his own collections, how he seeks and keeps joy in the world, and why he thinks “fashion can build a better, dreamy place.”
Plus, Paris Couture Week is in full swing! Nicole and Vogue’s Senior Beauty Editor (and The Run-Through regular) Margaux Anbouba share on-the-ground dispatches.
The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.
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| 0:00.0 | Getting the girls trip out of the group chat just feels right. The Fort Myers area delivers the memories, bonding, and let's do this every year energy. Start planning at visit fort Myers.com. |
| 0:15.3 | This is the run-through. I'm Nicole Phelps. I'm on the ground at Paris Couture Week, and there's lots to be excited about here. |
| 0:21.8 | Not least of all, the Couture debuts of Jonathan Anderson at Dior and Mathieu Blasey at Chanel. |
| 0:29.8 | Hello, Margot and Buba Vogue's senior beauty editor here reporting live from Couture Week in Paris. |
| 0:37.1 | Today I started bright and early. I went |
| 0:39.1 | backstage at Scaparrelli, 8 a.m. Paris time. And the look at Scaparelli was very alien skin. |
| 0:46.3 | This is something we've been seeing season after season at the show. I do feel like Daniel |
| 0:51.5 | Roseberry and Pat McGrath, who was doing the makeup there, have really perfected that ability to give and create skin on the models that just |
| 1:00.1 | sort of glows and feels like totally couture level unattainable, which I love. |
| 1:06.4 | A few minutes later, hop back in my car was backstage at Dior. |
| 1:13.3 | It was such a calm and chill backstage, especially for the fact that this show had so much gravitas, Jonathan Anderson's |
| 1:19.3 | first Couture show. One thing I have to say about the Dior show, and I've noticed this since |
| 1:25.8 | Jonathan stepped up last year. We need a shoe |
| 1:30.3 | camera. All of these shoes were freaky. They were fun. There were these satin pumps that came in |
| 1:36.7 | like a pink and a blue. I was very, very into. Speaking of Galliano, also, he was in the room with |
| 1:43.2 | us. When he and Anna walked in together, the room like went silent with excitement and with anticipation. |
| 1:52.1 | I was seated across from Carla Bruney. |
| 1:56.1 | I want to say, big feat for me, I've always admired her, found her so beautiful, et cetera, but I also found |
| 2:02.6 | a very fun for her to sneak a little vape pin during the show. I saw Sunday Rose walk, Nicole Kidman |
| 2:10.0 | and Keith Urban's daughter. Christian Lubitant was there. He was seated near me. So was |
| 2:16.2 | Farrell. Farrell kept his sunglasses on the entire |
| 2:19.6 | show. And then when we were walking out the flood of people, we were trying to leave. Oh my God, |
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