The opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics confirmed what we’ve long suspected: the Games are not only a celebration of sport, but also one of the most symbolic stages for contemporary fashion. A space where identity, narrative, and aesthetics meet under a global spotlight. And this edition — steeped in Italian elegance — was especially revealing.

The most talked-about moment of the night was, without a doubt, the tribute to Valentino Garavani. Not a mere nostalgic gesture, but a heartfelt homage to a way of understanding fashion as culture, emotion, and legacy. Valentino’s presence was not only visible in fabrics or silhouettes, but in the very atmosphere: in the solemnity of the gestures, in the reverence for craftsmanship, in that uniquely Italian idea that beauty can be quiet, restrained, and deeply powerful.

Italy: When Uniform Becomes Heritage

The Italian delegation once again entrusted Giorgio Armani, reaffirming a partnership that goes far beyond simple sponsorship. His designs, refined and precise, embodied that functional elegance that defines modern Italian luxury: clean lines, a controlled palette, technical fabrics treated with sartorial expertise. There was no excess here — only coherence. And in a spectacle known for grandeur, that alone felt revolutionary.

United States: Lifestyle as a Story

As expected, the United States returned to Ralph Lauren — the undisputed master of aspirational storytelling. These uniforms didn’t speak of trends; they spoke of lifestyle: a mountain lodge fantasy, sport as a family tradition, winter as an emotional experience. Every detail is crafted to ensure spectators don’t just see athletes, but a beautifully directed film.

France, Japan, and Identity as Design

France opted for a more conceptual elegance, where design harmonized with movement and technique, reflecting the intellectual sophistication typical of French fashion. Japan, meanwhile, once again proved why it is one of the countries that best understands contemporary design: minimalist, hyper-functional, and with a poetic interpretation of the uniform as a second skin.

Across the board, a common truth emerged: these outfits are no longer sportswear — they are cultural statements. Each country communicates who they are, what values they uphold, and how they want to be seen.

Sport, Luxury, and Soft Power

What’s most fascinating about the Olympics — especially the Winter Games — is their power as a soft power tool. Fashion here doesn’t dress individuals; it dresses nations. A well-designed uniform can convey modernity, tradition, sustainability, innovation, or elegance without saying a word. And luxury houses know it.

This is why more and more luxury brands are embracing the challenge with enthusiasm. It's not just about visibility — it’s about symbolic prestige. Dressing an Olympic delegation means entering the collective memory of an entire generation.

When Cold Sets the Trend

Milan-Cortina 2026 also solidified a trend we’ve seen growing for years: winter as a privileged aesthetic terrain. Layers, textures, volumes, and technical fabrics reimagined through a luxury lens… What walks on ice today will soon be echoed in fashion editorials, store windows, and ready-to-wear collections.

And perhaps that’s why this opening ceremony felt so inspiring. It reminds us that fashion doesn’t only live on runways. Sometimes, it marches across snow, below freezing, with the whole world watching.

For years, animal print has been synonymous with excess — with wild instinct, bold provocation, and a kind of fierceness not always easy to pull off. Leopard, zebra, python... prints that spoke loudly and demanded immediate attention. But this season, something has shifted. Animal print has softened; it has become quieter, more narrative. And in that unexpected turn, the Bambi print appears: soft, scattered spots on a warm brown background that evoke the coat of a fawn.

The so-called “Bambi print” taps into a unique sensibility — one where fashion looks at nature not as a spectacle, but as a refuge. There’s no aggression in this pattern, no tension. There is childhood, forest, winter. A gentle nostalgia that strikes a balance between the whimsical and the deeply aesthetic.

This print works almost like a visual memory. It takes us to cold morning walks, long coats, quiet streets at dawn. To that kind of elegance that doesn’t need to prove anything because it already has it all.

Interestingly, while its inspiration is clearly rooted in nature, its expression feels distinctly urban. It shows up in trousers, coats, structured handbags, even tailored pieces — all worn with a calmness rarely seen in trends. It’s not a flashy fashion moment, but a texture that feels like it’s always been there, patiently waiting for its time.

There’s something deeply cinematic about this print. It evokes quiet, European-style scenes — long strides on the pavement, warm coffee in hand, heavy fabrics. This is an animal print made for daytime, not nightlife; for reflection, not excess.

In a way, the Bambi print is a reaction — a quiet reply to noise, to visual saturation, to the constant need for impact. Its success lies not in being rare, but in being familiar. It feels both new and known. Perhaps because it speaks to something deeply human: the need for warmth, for protection, for gentle nature. It’s not the wild animal that prowls — it’s the one that watches.

For decades, skiing has been much more than a winter sport. It has served as a social stage, an aesthetic ritual, and—without fully intending to—one of the greatest sources of inspiration for contemporary winter fashion. Snow-covered mountains, wooden lodges, and après-ski culture have built a visual language that continues to influence how we dress when temperatures drop, even hundreds of kilometers from the slopes.

The relationship between skiing and fashion wasn’t born out of pure functionality, but from a deeply human need: to look good even in extreme conditions. And that’s where a fascinating story begins.

Skiing as a Symbol of Status and Modernity

In the 1950s and 60s, skiing wasn’t for everyone. Traveling to the Alps or other exclusive resorts required time, money, and a certain level of social standing. The slopes became impromptu runways where elegance competed with technique. It wasn’t just about skiing down a mountain—it was about doing it in style.

This is when silhouettes we now consider iconic made their debut: slim-fit trousers, turtleneck sweaters, wraparound sunglasses, and body-hugging ski suits. Skiing helped normalize tight-fitting, technical, and aerodynamic garments at a time when women’s fashion was still quite structured. The mountains introduced a new idea of freedom: movement, sport, and elegance could coexist.

It’s no coincidence that many vintage photographs from alpine resorts look like fashion editorials. The cold, far from being a hindrance, became a stylistic ally.

From Technical Performance to Urban Wardrobes

Over time, ski apparel evolved toward more technical materials: waterproof fabrics, thermal insulation, and layered systems designed to withstand wind, snow, and moisture. But what’s truly interesting isn’t just the innovation—it’s how this aesthetic left the mountain and entered the city.

Puffer jackets, oversized anoraks, alpine-inspired boots, and large sunglasses are now winter essentials in urban wardrobes. Garments once created to protect the body at high altitudes are now reinterpreted as style symbols—even in places where snow never falls.

Fashion has cleverly appropriated that technical language and turned it into something desirable. The result is an aesthetic that evokes protection, comfort, and a hint of adventure—even in the heart of the city.

The Myth of Après-Ski and Relaxed Elegance

If there’s one concept that has deeply shaped winter fashion, it’s après-ski. That moment after skiing, in front of a fireplace or on a snowy terrace, where effort gives way to pleasure. Here, clothing shifts from being purely technical to warm, cozy, and sophisticated.

Furs, thick wool, lined boots, knitted hats, and structured coats create a visual that we now associate with winter luxury. Not flashy luxury—but comforting luxury tied to well-being and a slower pace of life.

This aesthetic has directly influenced how we experience winter: not just as a season to bundle up, but as a time to enjoy the ritual of layering, noble fabrics, and silhouettes that invite you to stay a little longer.

The Mountains as an Aesthetic Refuge

In a fast-paced world, the imagery of skiing and the mountains acts as an emotional refuge. It speaks of nature, silence, and white landscapes that encourage us to pause. Fashion picks up on this nostalgia and expresses it through neutral tones—off-whites, beiges, greys, and earthy hues—that dominate winter collections year after year.

Even those who don’t ski recognize this aesthetic as aspirational. Dressing “as if you're heading to the snow” has become a way to project calm, sophistication, and a sense of detachment from the noise of daily life.

It’s no coincidence that so many winter fashion campaigns are shot in alpine settings. The mountains remain a powerful stage—rich in symbolism.

Fashion, Skiing, and a Sense of Timelessness

Perhaps that’s why skiing never goes out of style. Materials change, silhouettes evolve, but the spirit remains. There’s something deeply timeless in that blend of function and elegance, sport and contemplation.

As designer Hubert de Givenchy once said, “Luxury is in simplicity.” And few things are simpler, yet more sophisticated, than dressing for the cold with both the body and the gaze in mind.

Today, when we wear a well-cut puffer, alpine-inspired boots, or a turtleneck sweater, we’re carrying decades of history. The story of a sport that, unintentionally, taught winter fashion to become more technical—and above all, more free.

Some names don’t need a surname. Valentino is one of them. To pronounce it is to evoke absolute elegance, serene femininity, and a way of understanding fashion that today—amid noise and immediacy—feels almost like an act of resistance. This article is just another voice among grand headlines and an unusual silence, because great creators never truly leave.

It’s like standing in an empty opera house after the final aria, when the echo of the last note still lingers in the air and no one dares to break it. That’s how fashion feels today without Valentino Garavani.

Valentino was not just a designer. He was a way of understanding beauty. A gaze shaped by patience, discipline, and restrained emotion. In a world that keeps getting louder, he always whispered. And paradoxically, it was that whisper that made everyone listen.

Born in Voghera, dreaming in Paris, and building his universe in Rome, he created more than a fashion house—he built a temple devoted to femininity. For Valentino, dressing a woman was never about imposing an image, but about revealing her. That’s why his dresses never felt like costumes; they accompanied. They never weighed down; they floated. They never competed with the woman wearing them; they elevated her. 

The Red That Changed History

Some say the defining gesture of his legacy was red. But to reduce Valentino to a color would be to remain on the surface.

His red was neither trend nor provocation. It was pure emotion. He once explained that he discovered it almost by accident, one evening at the opera, watching several women dressed in red: none of them looked alike, yet they all shared something—presence, magnetism, life.

That moment followed him forever. From then on, that precise shade of red became his language, his signature, his way of telling the world that elegance can also be passionate.

Curiously, Valentino himself never wore red. He preferred to remain in the background, wrapped in whites, beiges, and blacks. Perhaps because he understood that the spotlight was not meant for him. He was there to serve the woman, not to overshadow her. “A woman should be elegant, not eye‑catching,” he used to say. And within that seemingly simple phrase lay an entire philosophy: beauty doesn’t need to shout to be unforgettable.

Haute Couture as an Act of Love

His relationship with haute couture was always deeply emotional. Valentino believed in slow time, in skilled hands, in invisible hours.

He believed that a dress could change the way a woman sees herself in the mirror—and therefore the way she faces the world. “Elegance is the balance between proportion, emotion, and surprise,” he often said. And that is exactly what he did: balance technique with sensitivity, perfection with humanity.

He dressed princesses, actresses, first ladies… but his greatest achievement was something else entirely: making any woman feel extraordinary when she wore one of his creations, regardless of her name or title. There was no irony or cynicism in his work. There was respect. Admiration. A deep love for femininity.

The End of an Era

When he bid farewell to the runway in 2008, many of us felt that something vanished—not just a designer stepping away. Not because talent disappeared, but because the last great master of an era left—an era in which fashion was vocation before spectacle.

An unrepeatable chapter in fashion history came to a close: that of the complete creator, the master who understood couture as cultural heritage, as a legacy to be preserved and passed on.

Today, as we say goodbye to Valentino, we are not just bidding farewell to a designer. We are saying goodbye to a way of seeing, of creating, and of dressing women with respect, admiration, and love. And yet, his red will remain. In the archives, on red carpets, in our collective memory—because there are colors that never go out of style, and names like Valentino through which fashion becomes art once again. And that, precisely that, is what makes his legacy eternal.

Although six days have passed and we’re saying goodbye to this Christmas season, I didn’t want to let any more time go by without saying farewell to 2025.

Dear 2025, this is your text. A farewell. A thank-you. A memory.

Because your apotheotic beginning—with the scales tipped in our favor, somewhere between confetti and an elevator—gave way to a year filled with nerves, growth, and hope.

A year in which I’ve grown so much—so very much—yet I’m still surrounded by the best company I could ever have wished for.

I say goodbye to another year packed with travel and special moments.
Where are we going next? You don’t know yet? Baiona, Thailand, Florence, ski resorts… or living between Zaragoza and Madrid.

Songs, screams, and concerts, alongside a crazy blonde—one to whom it’s always easy to say yes.

The group’s first bachelorette party, and a beautiful wedding we’d relive over and over again if we could.

Another summer enjoying those beaches from when we were little, when June, July, and August felt endless.

Hours and hours in front of a computer. Samples, patterns, and one more color. I think the best name is BARON. An innocent September 7th. A new date on the calendar—another day that will forever remain marked.

And there’s little more I can add to this scattered text. Thank you for these 365 days, with the people I love most still by my side.

Dear 2025, it’s been a true pleasure to live you.

There is something about time that we only truly understand when we feel it slipping away. It passes quietly, without asking permission, and before we realize it, it has already become a memory. Perhaps that’s why December moves us in a different way—because the end of the year doesn’t just mark a date on the calendar, but also offers a silent invitation to pause, to look around, and to ask ourselves whether we are truly living what matters.

At Christmas, time seems to take on a different texture. Days fill with small rituals—a shared table, conversations that linger, laughter that always finds its way back—and almost without noticing, we stop rushing. Not because the world slows down, but because we choose to. And it’s there that what truly matters emerges.

We live surrounded by stimuli, self‑imposed urgency, and packed schedules. But quality time knows nothing of haste. It’s that moment when we put our phone aside. That coffee that goes cold because the conversation is too good to interrupt. That aimless walk with someone we know by heart. True carpe diem isn’t grand or dramatic; it’s intimate, everyday, and deeply human.

Christmas reminds us—sometimes without words—that the best gift cannot be wrapped. It’s the time we give and the time we receive. The time we share with those we love without watching the clock, even if paradoxically it’s the clock that reminds us how fleeting—and precious—every second truly is.

When Measuring Time Is Also About Contemplating It

Some objects do more than serve a function—they accompany moments. Pieces that integrate seamlessly into our lives without demanding attention, as if they had always been there. Certain watches belong to that quiet, honest category—those that understand time not as something to control, but as something to observe.

The new Keshiki models by Orient—a limited edition inspired by the Japanese concept of keshiki, meaning landscape—are born from this very idea: looking at time the way we look at a horizon. The sky, the sea, the changing light throughout the day. There is no rush in a landscape—only presence.

The new Keshiki models by Orient

Gifting Time (Even If It Can’t Be Wrapped)

At this time of year, we talk a lot about gifts. But perhaps we should talk more about presence. About being there. About sharing. About listening without checking the time, even if we’re wearing it on our wrist. Because true luxury today isn’t having more—it’s living better.

A watch can become a beautiful symbol when it’s given from that place. Not as an object, but as an intention. As a reminder that every minute counts, that shared time is what truly lasts. That some landscapes deserve to be contemplated without haste.

Maybe that’s why this season invites us to slow down. To return to the family table, to comfortable silences, to traditions that ground us. To understand that time does indeed run—but it also fills with meaning when we live it consciously.

And so, among warm lights, winter skies, and shared moments, we come to understand something essential: we can’t stop time, but we can choose how we inhabit it. And sometimes, the greatest gift is simply that—to be present, together, now.

There are brands that need no introduction because they speak through their details. P.A.R.O.S.H., the Italian house known for turning every garment into a small object of desire, is one of them. Its designs have been winning over wardrobes for years thanks to a unique vision: reinterpreting luxury through craftsmanship, sophistication, and that touch of fantasy that only Italian style balances so effortlessly. And if there’s a moment of the year when their creations shine brightest, it’s undoubtedly Christmas.

A Story That Blends Tradition and Transformation

The history of P.A.R.O.S.H. begins in the 1980s with Iranian designer Paolo Rossello, a vintage‑fashion enthusiast who started creating unique pieces by reworking old garments, applying artisanal techniques, and adding unexpected details. What began as a creative experiment soon became the brand’s aesthetic foundation: transforming the classic into something extraordinary.

That DNA remains intact today. Every collection preserves the essence of the past, reinterpreted with modernity, luxury, and personality. Nothing is random; every button, sequin, and embroidery has a reason to be there.

Skirt With Stripes - P.A.R.O.S.H.

The Secret of P.A.R.O.S.H.: Details That Tell Stories

A P.A.R.O.S.H. garment is never basic, even when it embraces simplicity. It might be a soft sweater hiding a subtle shimmer at the cuff, a minimalist dress turned into a jewel through handcrafted embroidery, or a skirt brought to life by sequins sewn on one by one.

Their designs don’t seek attention through volume, but through character. This ability to elevate a look effortlessly is what makes their pieces perfect for special moments… like the holiday season.

Plisse Shirt - P.A.R.O.S.H.

The Magic of Christmas in P.A.R.O.S.H. Style

When December arrives, the brand unveils its full festive universe: fabrics that catch the light, deep colors, jewel‑like embroidery, and impeccable finishes. It’s not a loud shine—it’s sophisticated. A glow designed to celebrate.

• Sequin dresses: reimagined with clean, elegant cuts that flatter without overwhelming.
• Jewel skirts: perfect for creating a festive look simply by pairing them with a cashmere sweater.
• Blazers with embroidered details: ideal for dinners, cocktail parties, or adding a glamorous twist to a more casual look.
• Knitwear with a twist: perhaps the most unexpected signature, because even the everyday becomes special.

P.A.R.O.S.H. pieces don’t just dress you—they inspire. They carry that luminous energy that reminds us Christmas is a time to shine, celebrate, and embrace the special.

Ecofur Jacket - P.A.R.O.S.H.

Why Choose P.A.R.O.S.H. This Christmas

The beauty of this brand is that every piece feels extra yet timeless. These aren’t garments you’ll wear only once; they have life beyond the holidays. They work for an elegant dinner, a family gathering, a work event, or even a last‑minute plan that calls for something special.

Choosing P.A.R.O.S.H. is choosing design, craftsmanship, and a touch of magic you can feel when you wear it. It’s the kind of fashion that turns an ordinary moment into a small celebration.