Valentino Garavani's Design Signatures
From Valentino Red to leopard print and roses, these are the signature codes of "The Last Emperor."
Born on May 11, 1932, in Lombardy, Northern Italy, Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani is known across the globe by his first name and for his eponymous label: Valentino. Romantic and often elaborate, Valentino is still a reflection of Garavani’s personal vision of fashion. Even after his retirement from the brand in 2008, the Italian fashion house continues to honor the designer’s passion for Old Hollywood glamour, consummate femininity, and haute couture craftsmanship.
Over the course of his nearly 50 years as a designer, Garavani dressed practically every star from style icon Jackie Kennedy Onassis, to actresses Grace Kelly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sophia Loren, and more. A year after his retirement Garavani even became an on-screen star with the release of his documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, produced by journalist Matt Tyrnauer and premiered at the Venice Film Festival.
Here, L’OFFICIEL honors the designer on his birthday with a roundup of the signature designs that make his work so irresistible to red carpet icons and continue to define Maison Valentino today.
Valentino Red
In 1960, Garavani met his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti in Paris. Just two years later in 1962, he showed his first critically recognized couture collection at the Pitti Palace in Florence. The show marked a breakthrough moment for the designer as the go-to for dressing the glitterati. But through the glitz and elegant glamour, what made the assembly so special was its universal color: red. It would become more than just a color after this show, immortalized through Garavani’s lens as Valentino Red.
Ultra-Feminine Embellishment
Garavani was inspired by the sort of saturated feminine beauty he saw on screen as a youth. One movie in particular, Ziegfeld Girl, left its mark on him at the age of 13, encouraging him to pursue a career in women's fashion design. He studied in Paris, after which he apprenticed in the salons of Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche to fine-tune his sartorial skills. In late 1959, he left the legendary dressmakers to return to Italy and open the doors of his own atelier to the women of Rome. His dresses were unapologetically feminine. Embellished with large bows, lavish flowers, full ruffles, delicate lace, and intricate embroideries.
Florals
Emblematic of Garavani’s love and appreciation for femininity, Valentino collections drip with flowers of all kinds. From floral prints to hand-cut and layered embellishments, Valentino Red, florals are visible throughout the house’s lines of work. Roses in particular are a signatory of Maison Valentino. The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, founded in 2011 to serve as an archive for the designer's life and bodies of work, has noted that "For Mr. Valentino, the rose was not only a symbol of the artistry of couture but a token of timelessness, cultivation and the endurance of beauty."
Leopard Print
Most recently, Valentino elevated leopard print through the custom catsuit made for and worn by Beyoncé in her Black is King, music video. However, the Maison has been championing the animal pattern since 1950, when he made a belted cashmere jersey dress demarcated by a tonal leopard print which can still be viewed in the Valentino digital archives.
