We hear Valentino, and we automatically think Oscars. And more specifically, Anne Hathaway at the Oscars. We know the designer and the actress go way back and Anne was devastated to have missed out on wearing Valentino to pick up her Academy Award earlier this year, but if we were her, we would have been even more disappointed to have missed out on selecting any one of these new season dresses. Just look at them! Is it fair to say Valentino Garavani exceeds himself with each and every collection?

Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a dark, visually rich and fantastical show for Haute Couture autumn/winter 2013, with an abundance of embellished, intricate designs making their way down the catwalk.

It wasn’t all heavy, embroidered pieces on the runway though. There were also more practical and wearable pieces that made an appearance too, including some very prim, proper and powerful pencil skirts that we know the fashion elite will be wearing to their upcoming business meetings. All abut balance, you see. “While it celebrates fantasy, the collection also embraces an earthly dimension,” read the show notes.