Valentino's all-white haute couture collection

Creative directors at the Italian fashion house, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpalo Piccioli make their debut in New York with Sala Bianca 945

Valentino’s exclusive Haute Couture show in New York

Valentino unveiled an exclusive one-off Haute Couture collection in New York last night to celebrate the opening of the brand’s largest global flagship on Fifth Avenue.

Creative directors at the Italian fashion house, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpalo Piccioli, presented their first show in American fashion capital.

Entitled 'Sala Bianca 945', the collection is made up of 47 dresses and floor length gowns – all in white.

"We wanted to present our core to New York and Valentino is a couture house at its core," Chiuri told WWD.

The collection is rooted into the history of the brand and into its legacy as it pays homage to Valentino Garavani’s iconic 1968 white collection – the one from which Jackie Kennedy chose her wedding dress to wed Aristotle Onassis.

Chiuri said: "It's really a big chance for us because it's so famous, the white collection, that to do something at the same level is not so easy." But Valentino added: "White — if you do something wrong, if it's not perfectly made, it's a disaster." "Exceptional," was his verdict.

The collection includes delicate tulle blouses, ruffled necks, organza dresses, embroidery, leather details and cashmere – all in white and ivory.

“Sala Bianca 945 will soon become a corner stone of the history of fashion and of its impermanence,” said Italian art curator Francesco Bonami.