Seen Through Time
Review of Valentino ‘Eyewear’ Spring 2026 Ad Campaign by Alessandro Michele with Photographer Angelo Pennetta with model Vilma Friedlander
Valentino approaches its Spring 2026 Eyewear campaign with a quiet sense of theater, one that feels less like a grand opera and more like a whispered conversation between past and present. Under the direction of Alessandro Michele, with Christopher Simmonds shaping the visual language and Angelo Pennetta behind the lens, the House sharpens its narrative by returning home. Rome is not just a backdrop here, it is a declaration. The hook is subtle but pointed: when Valentino looks, it looks through Rome.
The imagery unfolds among classical Roman sculptures, their weathered surfaces acting as both setting and symbol. Vilma Friedlander moves through this space with a studied nonchalance, slipping her eyewear on and off as if testing perception itself. There is a performative restraint in these gestures, as though she is negotiating her place between antiquity and modernity. In the video, this tension deepens, turning the simple act of wearing glasses into a meditation on identity, observation, and authorship.
Visually, the campaign thrives on contrast. Michele’s romantic codes are tempered by Pennetta’s clarity. The softness of Friedlander’s platinum hair and porcelain features plays against the permanence of carved stone, while the eyewear introduces a crisp, contemporary interruption. Polka dots, ruffled blouses, and sharply cut tailoring feel deliberate, almost like annotations within a larger historical text. Each frame balances reverence with disruption, never tipping too far into nostalgia.
What resonates most is the campaign’s sense of place. In a moment when many brands chase universality, Valentino narrows its lens with intention. By anchoring the story in Rome, the House reinforces its lineage while allowing Michele’s vision to root itself in something tangible. It is not heritage as costume, but heritage as context. Even as this remains a product-focused campaign, it carries a cultural weight that elevates it beyond the transactional.
There are moments, however, where the concept could have pressed further. The dialogue between past and present is clear, but it remains composed, almost too polite. One wonders what might have emerged if the campaign disrupted its own elegance just a touch more, perhaps allowing the Roman setting to challenge the model rather than simply frame her. The tension is there, but it is carefully managed.
Still, there is a quiet confidence in that restraint. Valentino does not need to shout its Roman identity, it simply places it in view and trusts the audience to understand. And in doing so, the House delivers a campaign that reminds us that perspective is never neutral. It is shaped by where you stand, and in this case, Valentino stands firmly, and stylishly, in Rome
Valentino Creative Director | Alessandro Michele
Art Director | Christopher Simmonds
Photographer | Angelo Pennetta
Models | Vilma Friedlander
Stylist | Jonathan Kaye
Hair | Esther Langham
Makeup | Yadim Carranza
Manicurist | Sara Ciufo
Casting Director | Rachel Chandler
Set Designer | Victoria Salomoni