New Delhi, Jan. 30 -- Valentino's first couture show since house founder Valentino Garavani's funeral in Rome opened under a somber shadow, with many guests fresh from the ceremony - then snapped it off with a jolt of pure theater.

VIP guests, including Sir Elton John and Kirsten Dunst, were guided through near-darkness to their "seats": simple stools set against circular pods, each punctured by a small kinky-feeling viewing window.

When the show began, the blinds lifted; the classical music soundtrack cut by the sharp punctuation of barking dogs.

Inside the hubs, models appeared like mannequins behind glass - private viewing holes turned into a couture peep show.

Couture as show

The white, sterile-lit staging leaned into the idea of...