Citing a fascination with lists, the Italian designer revealed the myriad inspirations in each of the 48 unique ensembles.

For his first haute couture collection for Valentino, Alessandro Michele dropped a stack of paper the size of a dissertation on each seat. Held together by a metal paper fastener were pages and pages of stream-of-consciousness lists. A random sampling: the description for look 37 included the sequence “petticoat, tundra, eschatology.”

When Alessandro Michele was growing up in Rome in the 1970s, one of his favorite pastimes was to rummage through his mother’s closet and to run his hands over the rustling taffeta, glinting sequins, and other adornments of time past.

For his debut collection at the French house, the designer left 100-page documents as show notes on every seat at the runway show.

For Alessandro Michele, who on Wednesday joined the most rarefied ranks of his profession with his debut made-to-measure collection for Valentino, it was both dazzling and a little bit dizzying. Demi Moore Suits Up With Exaggerated Hips and Shoulders at Giorgio Armani Privé Haute Couture Show in Paris

Just a few days before Alessandro Michele’s inaugural Valentino couture show, the designer welcomed Vogue into his Paris atelier.

Red words scrolled along a black board, poetic descriptors heralding Alessandro Michele’s first haute couture collection for Valentino.

Alessandro Michele’s Valentino couture debut was the most anticipated ticket of Paris Couture Week, and the designer didn't disappoint with a lavish spectacle at the Palais Brongniart, a fittingly historic backdrop for his past-meets-present storytelling.

Alessandro Michele’s first couture collection for Valentino reimagines the house’s legacy with rich historical references.