Valentino Garavani, the designer who defined red carpet glamour for generations of stars, has died at the age of 93.
The Valentino Foundation said the Italian couturier died at his home in Rome on January 19. Widely regarded as one of fashion’s last true maestros, Valentino built a career dressing some of the world’s most famous women, from Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren to Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sharon Stone.
His rise to international fame began in the early 1960s, notably after Jacqueline Kennedy commissioned a series of haute couture dresses during her period of mourning following the assassination of President John F Kennedy. Kennedy later chose Valentino to design her wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis, a design that helped cement his global reputation.
Born in Voghera in 1932, Valentino trained in Paris before returning to Rome to launch his fashion house in 1960 with the support of his parents. That same year he met Giancarlo Giammetti, his lifelong partner and the business force behind the Maison Valentino brand. Together, they turned the label into a symbol of jet set luxury, mirrored by their own high profile lifestyle and legendary social gatherings.
Valentino retired from the runway in 2008 but remained a cultural figure, making cameo appearances in films such as The Devil Wears Prada and featuring in the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor. Tributes have poured in from across the fashion world, including Donatella Versace, who described him as “a true maestro”.
The foundation said the designer will lie in state at Valentino’s historic Rome headquarters before a funeral at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs later this week.
