Valentino Garavani died at the age of 93 in his Roman residence. Wednesday and Thursday the funeral home, Friday the funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
«Everyone knows what women want: to be beautiful and admired» this mantra was repeated in every interview by Valentino Garavani, the stylist from Voghera, but Roman by choice and election, who has now passed away at the age of 93 (he was born on 11 May 1932).
Bulimic of beauty, he has always tried, since he was a child, to surround himself with wonderful things: objects, clothes, furniture, houses. Among the various anecdotes that dot his life, the most popular one concerns the birth of his passion for red, the pantone color of his Maison. Well it is said that as a boy he attended a show at the Barcelona Opera where the women were mostly dressed in red, a giving color and promoter of the joy of living. Hence his passion for vermilion, the common thread and aesthetic signature of all his collections.
Loved by divas, adored by blue-blooded ladies, Valentino moved to Paris at just 17 to attend the École des Beaux-Arts at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and there he understood that no one could stop him anymore, his ambition and talent emerged immediately, it was no coincidence that he won the Woolmark Prize (the same one that launched the careers of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, his dearest friend), he began with an internship with Jean Dessés, then he goes to work for Guy Laroche, whom he meets in the atelier. In 1959 he returned to Italy and moved to Rome, at the time the cradle of Italian high fashion, and opened his small atelier. In 1960 he met a brilliant and friendly 22-year-old architecture student (not very studious), Giancarlo Giammetti, in Via Veneto: it was love at first sight. Their personal story and their professional partnership has never waned.
“The Boys” as Diana Vreeland christened them began their rise, a success that conquered women all over the world and the fashion business. In 2007, Valentino Garavani decided to retire, but the brand continued its history passing from one designer to another, the last of whom were Pier Paolo Piccioli and currently Alessandro Michele. But that’s another story.
