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.