Sombr fronts Alessandro Michele's latest dreamlike campaign for Valentino Pre-Fall 2026, taking over Cy Twombly's ancient palazzo in Bassano in Teverina. Michele has always understood that the most powerful images conjure a world. Here, that world belongs equally to fashion and art, to the present moment and to echoes of the past that refuse to fade. The campaign shot by Johnny Dufort arrives as a multimedia project spanning both image and film, and in every frame something trembles just beneath the surface.
The palazzo itself is as much a protagonist as anyone in front of the lens. Twombly purchased the villa in 1975, using it as a creative laboratory he shared only with close collaborators — a sanctuary of productive silence where some of his most recognisable work came into being and where much of it still lives today. Michele's decision to shoot here carries a precise historical weight: in 1968, photographer Henry Clarke immortalised Valentino Garavani's white collection inside Twombly's Roman apartment for Vogue US. By returning to another of the artist's homes decades later, Michele draws a line between two moments in the maison's history, of course not to repeat the past but to prove that certain things never fully die out.
The garments carry all the recognisable signatures of Michele's tenure at the house, like rich velvets, two-toned lace, and silhouettes that reframe vintage shapes for the fresh eye. Against the rooms of the palazzo, each piece reads with intensity, as seen on the runway: colour stands out, texture catches the light in ways that feel almost sculptural, and statement pieces such as bags and heels complete this campaign.
