Valentino In Ten Interesting Facts

The legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino retired this year after a career spanning more than four decades. To mark this fashion landmark, here are ten interesting facts that you may, or may not, know about the designer.

1. Valentino moved from his native Italy to Paris at the age of 17 to train in the art of couture.

2. After training, he worked for many of the major Parisian fashion houses of the day; Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Jean Desses and Guy Laroche.

3. After his sojourn in Paris, Valentino returned to Italy in 1959 and set up in Rome.

4. Soon after his return to Rome, Valentino met the man who would become his longterm business partner: Giancarlo Giammetti. Giammetti would prove fundamental to the success of the Valentino fashion house through his shrewd business acumen and by allowing Valentino himself to focus solely on the creative side of the enterprise.

5. Valentino's first Italian show was actually in Florence. At that time, Florence was the centre of the Italian fashion industry, thanks to a long history in the production of expensive silks and the location of some of the top Italian fashion houses of the time in the city. It was Valentino, and really Valentino alone, who in successive years was able to show successfully in his adopted hometown of Rome due to his international renown and following. His Florentine show marked the beginning of his success.

6. Valentino marked 45 years in the fashion industry in 2007 with a series of lavish celebrations in Rome from 6th-8th July. These celebrations included a major retrospective of his work in the Ara Pacis museum in Rome. This exhibition then continued until the end of October 2007.

7. One of Valentino's most famous clients, although he has had many of these, was Jackie Kennedy. She was a regular client from 1964 and Valentino designed her wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis.

8. Valentino was the first major Italian designer to show regularly at the Paris Haute Couture shows, something he did for the last time on 23rd January 2008. Many of his dresses through the years have been in his trademark red - rosso Valentino.

9. An equity fund, Permira, took control of the Valentino Fashion Group in 2007. Previously, it was owned by Marzotto Apparel and, before that, by HdP. It remains one of the few fashion houses not owned by one of the major three fashion groups; LVMH, the Gucci Group and PPR.

10. Valentino was awarded the distinguished French decoration, the Legion d'Honneur in July 2006. This award was followed this year by the Grand Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris for his services to Parisian fashion. He had already been awarded the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Spring/Summer '08 Haute Couture Report

At the Spring/Summer '08 Haute Couture shows in Paris, we were once again treated to a series of shows which perfectly married those two fundamental elements of couture: sublime creativity and impeccable execution. Here is our "in a nutshell" guide to the shows:

Anne Valerie Hash - daring, mostly sheer fabrics used to great effect through layering, brightened by well chosen surface embellishments.
Armani Privé - another tailoring masterclass: this time exploring figure hugging and feminine themes whilst retaining a classically chic aesthetic. Flawless drape, perfect embellishment, magnificent use of fabric.
Chanel - fittingly for a collection shown around a giant, sculpted classic Chanel jacket, this collection was an homage to that mainstay of the Chanel brand. Many variations on the classic, in terms of length and cut, in a more muted palette, along with a whimsical approach to eveningwear.
Christian Dior - an imagination unlike any other. Exaggerated 60s silhouettes, acid bright colours and animalesque fabrics, glorious embellishment. Perhaps too much at first glance, becomes divine as always on a second.
Christian Lacroix - bold colours and patterns, along with bold mixes of patterns. Impeccable tailoring mixed with expert drape. Lacroix will never be to everyone's taste, although he is to mine, but the skill and execution is undeniable.
Jean Paul Gaultier - under the sea inspiration evident throughout: coral and seaweed prints, wet-look fabrics, giant sequins like scales, seaweed-esque fringing. Yet, in many respects, very wearable.
Givenchy - impeccable tailoring, harnessing flared skirts and nipped waists, along with longer-line jackets and drainpipe trousers.
Elie Saab - eveningwear from the eveningwear specialist. Sparkle and drape in a variety of light colours.
Valentino - Valentino's last couture collection before retirement was a fitting celebration of all that has made his long career so successful and that has made him peerless as a master of drape. Check back next week for our special on Valentino.
Versace - Versace did not produce a runway show but instead presented a capsule by appointment. A particularly impressive selection of red-carpet worthy eveningwear in magnificent colours with a rather wonderful use of cut.

Happy 60th Birthday Dior!

Well, it isn't quite a birthday: after all, Christian Dior himself was born in 1905. However, this year marks the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the fashion house which bears his name. To celebrate this milestone, current designer John Galliano produced a 60th anniversary collection to remember during this season's Paris couture week. Held in the magnificent setting of L'Orangerie at Versailles, it certainly was an event to remember. Not only did the show reunite some of the most iconic models of the last couple of decades (Linda Evangelista, Shalom Harlow, Helena Christensen alongside the likes of Lily Cole and Doutzen Kroes)it served as a kind of visual memorial of the work of Christian Dior himself and of the late Steven Robinson, Galliano's right-hand man. However, as always, it was the clothes themselves that were the stars of the show. Following on from his triumphant Japanese inspired Spring collection, Galliano has once more produced a formidable, breath-taking display of his mastery of cut, tailoring and style.
This collection was seemingly inspired by both the signature "New Look" of early Dior and by the works of painters and other visual artists. Cinched waists and "Noir-ish" details (small hats, vertiginous heels, jet-black beading) abounded in reference to the former. The influence of the latter was present in the spectacular array of evening gowns. References to artists such as Renoir and Goya, and even Cecil Beaton, were obvious. However, there were also less direct allusions: a white dress whose front is wound into a slash of red, recalling a smear of pigment on the palette, combined with a hat in the shape of a palette. As with his previous couture collection, Galliano's strength here lies in his ability to transform inspirations which might seem easy to spot or well-known, into something new and unusual. Use of bold colour, unusual mixes of fabrics and adventurous surface details plays a huge part in this. For me, stand-out items include: this wonderful eggshell blue gown and jacket (below),

a form-fitting black dress and white evening coat with over-sized sleeves and graphic detailing

a wonderfully tailored, exquisitely detailed emerald green gown

and this killer outfit.


The stuff that dreams are made of!

Spring 2007 Haute Couture At A Glance

Christian Dior.
In order to be truly haute-couture, a garment must be made in Paris. Each year, only a very select group of designers present haute-couture collections in Paris. These represent the zenith of the creative and practical arts of fashion. Haute-couture is an art-form in itself and the pieces produced are wearable artworks. Of course, as with most artworks, the garments come at a premium. Haute-couture is unattainable to all but a small elite group of buyers. However, some of the themes and ideas filter through to the ready-to-wear collections. In any case, the haute-couture shows are worth studying for the sheer vitality and creativity of the designs. Here is a quick guide to some of the shows:
Dior - the most breath-taking and stunning of all the shows in my opinion. The collection was inspired by Japan, particularly by the story of Madame Butterfly, and featured influences from the clothes of geishas, delicate Japanese art motifs and origami. Nothing new here, you might think. However, what made the collection so interesting was the way in which these influences had been viewed through the lens of the New Look designs of the 40s and 50s (an influence also viewed in the ready-to-wear collection from this house, although in a far more utilitarian way). A collection at once nostalgic and breath-takingly modern, particularly in colour palette (acid pink, vivid green, electric blue) and the architectural form of certain details (shoulder, hips etc). Garments featured bold shapes paired with oversized motifs popular is Japanese art - waves, blossoms. This collection truly showcased the technical wizadry which the haute-couture "petits-mains" can employ in realising a designer's creative vision.
Chanel - by complete contrast, Chanel's collection featured designs with clean lines and a short, neat silhouette with a rigorous colour palette - monochrome, with splashes of colour. Suits and day dresses were given a decidedly 60s twist - mini skirts, round necklines and evening dresses were either short or long, featuring innovative combinations of materials, particularly organza and feathers. This may sound simple, but the collection was anything but: Lagerfeld is all about the details and the construction. What looks young and spontaneous, has actually taken many hours and many hands to construct - a case in point the stunning dress below (210 hours). This is the genius and enduring popularity of Lagerfeld, making the complex seem young and insouciant. Other key details to emerge from this collection are feathers, bows, patent leather accents and fingerless gloves.
Christian Lacroix - this collection bore all the hallmarks of Lacroix: bold colours, exaggerated shapes and prints. Yellow and electric blue were big here, as at Dior. Daywear again had a mainly short silhouette, with skirts being wide this time instead of streamlined as at Chanel. Inspired by flowers, the collection is a joy to behold. Lacroix clothes are for those who are not afraid of making a statement. It was in evening wear that this collection really excelled. Lacroix showed a magnificent selection of evening gowns, in a variety of different shapes and styles but all bearing Lacroix' s trademark precise, yet somehow whimsical tailoring. Frills, layers, large flower accents, ruffles and exaggerated sleeves all in the most delicate and flowing of fabrics.
Armani Prive - a collection inspired by India, although the inspiration manifested itself more in the cut of the garments and the texture of the fabrics than the colour. Armani's palette was mostly neutral - black, grey, silver, white. This allowed the cut of the garments and the subtle embellishments on the garments to really reveal themselves. Metallic, textured fabrics were key - either draped fluidly, or tailored delicately. The influence of the sari became apparent in Armani's evening wear - flowing lines, one-shouldered garments, draping - although given a sleek, typically Armani treament.
Valentino - Valentino showed an all-white (well, nearly, there were some very subtle hints of pink and yellow) collection, which was light and airy in its construction. Rich in detail, embellished fabrics, daywear was young and frivolous. Valentino is, of course, master of the red carpet gown. There were several key gowns, which could well appear on a red-carpet soon.
Givenchy - Riccardo Tisci presented a pared back, almost macabre collection for Givenchy. This wasn't to all tastes, but there were certain flashes of genius. Key features were a monochrome colour palette punctuated with splashes of bright yellow; deconstructed yet tailored naval inspired jackets; details applied to Edwardian inspired dress like sea-shells, anemones and other marine flora clinging to rocks.