Pierpaolo Piccioli announced today that he is departing Valentino after 25 years. He began his career at the Italian house as an accessory designer before being appointed co-creative director in 2008 along with Maria Grazia Chiuri, who would leave her post for Dior in 2016.
During Piccioli’s impressive tenure at Valentino, he’s captured the hearts of scores of celebrities, who flocked to the designer for all manner of major occasions—from the Oscars to the Met Gala. With his multi-dimensional view of womanhood, Piccioli was just as likely to deliver a romantic, ostrich feather-trimmed gown as he was an edgy, diaphanous dress.
Piccioli’s Valentino gave us some truly jaw-dropping red carpet moments. Who can forget when Rihanna graced the 2023 Met Gala in that white drop-waisted, bump-forward dress with a magnificent train, or Carey Mulligan’s daring gold two-piece set for the 2021 Oscars? And, of course, we’ll always remember his instantly iconic “PP pink” collection, which had stars clamoring to wear the vivid hue on the red carpet.
But it’s not just Piccioli’s designs that made him so popular. As Valentino ambassador Florence Pugh told Vogue in July 2023: “We had this very quick realization that we loved each other. All the things that I want to stand for were all the things that made him light up.”
Below, take a look back at some of Pierpaolo Picciolo’s most memorable red carpet looks from his time as creative director at Valentino.