VALENTINO UNVEILS ‘NOCTURNE’, ITS 2026 CRUISE CAMPAIGN

words by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL

There are several constants in life; death, taxes, and that wherever Alessandro Michele goes, sophisticated whimsy will follow. ‘Nocturne’, the designer’s 2026 Cruise campaign for Maison Valentino, is no exception, possessing elegant fancy in spades. Soundtracked by Chopin’s ‘Nocturne in E Flat’, the dream-like campaign stars Michele muse Dakota Johnson alongside Marisa Berenson, Dev Hynes, Anne Imhof, Tate McRae, Devon Teuscher, and a cast of Valentino-clad models.

image courtesy of VALENTINO

Instead of the traditional press release favoured by brands, Michele penned a poetic letter to accompany the release of the campaign, a touch that feels fitting for such a languid, romantic offering.  He writes,  “There is a moment, just before the night comes, when conscience prepares to surrender. It is an in-between time, where the borders of sleep and wake become porous: things get soft, words lose weight, light stops judging. On such suspended threshold, everything yields to a slow abandonment.”

‘Nocturne’ brings this vision to life within the liminal space of a hotel, where each room serves as its own fragment of the universe. Audiences glimpse each of the characters in personal and shared states of contemplative reverie; Dakota dwells on a plush, carpeted floor, immersed in a phone conversation, whilst Tate drapes herself across a chaise lounge, seemingly deep in thought.

In true Michele style, the clothes are both beautiful and ornate; a jacket’s lapel is crystalline and sequined, lace floral stockings are paired with satin bow kitten heels, and sleeves and hems alike are trimmed with feathers.

It’s imaginative, it’s poetic, it’s unmistakably Michele, and in the words of the designer himself, “It’s the musical breath of a world that, for a fleeting instant, allowed itself to sleep together”. 

images courtesy of VALENTINO