To the registry, he was Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani. To the world, he was simply Valentino, the last emperor of fashion. To the Americans, he was “The Chic.”
Photo: Franco Origlia/Getty Images via Getty Images
He passed away today in the serenity of his Roman home at the age of 93 years, entirely consecrated to fashion, luxury, and a rare, singular vision of pure aesthetics. One need only look at his gowns – those he sketched himself for his collections – to understand his genius. There was a fundamental simplicity to his work, often upended by a singular theatrical flourish: a bow, a puff sleeve, a plunging neckline, a detail that caught the breath. To look at that specific shade of red that bears his name is to realise that “Mr. V” was far more than an excellent couturier. He was a devotee of the sublime, chasing beauty with the same necessity as breath.
The Spark of a Visionary
Born on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, near Milan, Valentino’s destiny was forged in the flicker of a radio broadcast. He was just six years old when he heard the announcement of Maria Francesca of Savoy’s engagement. It was the mention of her gown – green lamé – that acted as a lightning bolt. Those two words ignited a lifelong obsession, leading him from his aunt’s local fabric shop to the hallowed, high-pressure ateliers of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
In 1950s Paris, Valentino apprenticed under Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, where he mastered the nuances of technical construction and the relationship between fabric and colour. By night, he was a regular in the foyers of theatres; his second great passion was dance. Though a professional career in ballet never materialised, he carried that sense of rhythmic harmony throughout his life. It informed both his personal poise and the fluid way his clothes moved on the body. This affinity for the stage also sparked his long friendship with Mikhail Baryshnikov, who became a frequent guest in his front rows.
The Roman Empire and the Giammetti Partnership
Photo: Gianni GIANSANTI/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
In the late 1950s, Valentino returned to Italy to open his own atelier on Rome’s Via Condotti. It was on July 31, 1960, at the height of the Dolce Vita era, that he met Giancarlo Giammetti – an encounter that would define the rest of his life. The two formed an unbreakable professional and personal bond. While Valentino focused on the creative vision, Giammetti managed the business, branding, and the logistical complexities of the world outside the studio. They were two halves of a whole, often described as the sun and the moon.
Photo: Eric VANDEVILLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Their international breakthrough came in 1962 at the Pitti Palace in Florence. Despite being scheduled for the final hour of the final day (a slot usually overlooked), the collection was an immediate sensation. American buyers were so enthralled by the work that they placed orders until dawn.
Daring in Red and Dressed in White
Valentino’s global reputation is inextricably linked to the legendary women he dressed. In 1968, he designed the ivory lace mini-dress for Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding to Aristotle Onassis. He later dedicated the famous “White Collection” to her. Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and the Empress of Iran were among the many icons who sought his meticulous hand.
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images via Getty Images
Then, there was the Red. This specific, vibrant shade – somewhere between carmine, purple, and cadmium – was a revelation Valentino experienced during a night at the Barcelona Opera. It became his enduring signature. “A woman in red never goes wrong,” he often remarked. “Red is life, passion, and love; it is the remedy for sadness.”
The Grand Finale
Valentino’s life was punctuated by events of cinematic scale. From the 1991 “Thirty Years of Magic” gala in Rome to the legendary three-day celebration of his 45th-anniversary in 2007, he knew how to host. His final Haute Couture show at the Musée Rodin in January 2008 remains one of the most emotional moments in fashion history.
Following his retirement, he watched his house transition through the creative leadership of Alessandra Facchinetti, the duo of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, and eventually Piccioli’s solo tenure. Most recently, the industry watched with bated breath as Alessandro Michele took the reins.
A Life Lived Without Compromise
Image: Ron Galella,Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Away from the runway, Valentino lived with a grandeur that has largely vanished from the modern landscape. He divided his time between his Roman villa, the Château de Wideville near Paris, a London mansion in Holland Park, and his 49-meter yacht, the TM Blue One. He was famously surrounded by his “extended family”—Giammetti, Bruce Hoeksema, and his beloved pugs.
In his final years, he expressed a sense of detachment from the contemporary industry, lamenting that fashion had become more about “market and product”. He found it difficult to reconcile his artistic standards with the fast-paced compromises of modern luxury.
Valentino Garavani did not just dress women; he built a world where beauty was the only law. We imagine him now, hand in pocket, a mischievous glint in his eye, sketching among the roses. He remains a figure of singular elegance, forever dreaming in red.
Editor
Di Elena Banfi; Translated by Dorothy HoCredit
Lead Image: Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images
