When fashion fully embraces femininity, as it has at the recent spring 2027 fashion shows, it’s always refreshing. This iteration offers something even more poignant — a chic, modern, unapologetic aesthetic, with lace and frills rendered a necessity. For spring 1997, it was Valentino’s eye that enveloped the ideal in what WWD described as “beautiful and every bit as chic as they were sexy.” His lace-and-chiffon dress, as seen on supermodel Naomi Campbell, made the daily’s cover, perfectly capturing the delights of spring and the allure and power of the feminine mystique.
“Love Stream” WWD, Oct. 14, 1996. Fairchild Archive/WWD
