Monsieur de Haute Couture: The Enduring Legacy of Valentino

In January, a solemn atmosphere fell over the Palazzo Gabrielli-Mignanelli in Rome, home to the headquarters of the Italian powerhouse Maison Valentino. The house’s namesake had died, and with him, a titan of old-world decadence and romantic opulence. The enduring heritage of Valentino Garavani can best be summed up in a quote by Yves Saint Laurent: “fashions fade, style is eternal.” Valentino’s legacy extended far beyond the silhouettes he created. It lay in how he reshaped fashion culture’s understanding of femininity and timelessness in an industry increasingly driven by speed and spectacle. 

Valentino first developed a sensibility for beauty in the small Italian commune of Voghera, where he apprenticed under his aunt Rosa and local designer Ernestina Salvadeo. Exposure to French fashion at the Beaux-Arts de Paris left Valentino with a disciplined sense of haute couture that he would draw from for the rest of his career. Alongside his schooling, he secured a position with the designer Jean Dessès, sketching silhouettes for Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, a notable figure in French society. When it was time for Valentino to open his fashion house in 1960, he did so in Rome, a city known for its aristocratic glamour and cosmopolitan attitude. The atelier almost did not survive. Valentino was known for spending lavishly, a habit that contributed to his sense of luxury and elegance but left his couture house in a precarious financial situation. To save the company, he had to turn to an international audience. 

In 1962, Valentino made his international debut in front of an American audience in Florence, the center of Italian fashion at the time. He caught the eye of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who became his first major patron. Her support gave him the platform to design his first major all-white couture collection in 1968, which Vogue dubbed “the talk of Europe.”

In the 1970s, although Valentino experimented with brighter colors for projects like the iconic “Rosso Valentino,” his designs usually trended more conservative than the mini-skirts and trousers that were en vogue at the time. His Fall 1978 collection showcased rigidly tailored shapes with 1930s-inspired shoulder pads. He aimed to “make women beautiful” above all else. 

The 1980s and 1990s were Valentino’s golden age. At a time when other Italian houses like Gucci were experiencing identity crises, Valentino maintained a standard of classic, timeless femininity known as “glitterati chic.” The aesthetic incorporates luxurious fabrics, Italian romanticism, and conspicuous consumption. This look, combined with Valentino’s expert leveraging of social connections, created a tight-knit circle of celebrity clients known as the “Val Gals.” Over the decades, Valentino dressed Sophia Loren, Joan Collins and Princess Diana of Wales, while supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer walked in his shows for his brand. 

In 2007, Valentino announced that he would be retiring from the world stage, having sold his company in 1998. His last show, which was in October of the same year, was the subject of a Netflix documentary, “The Last Emperor of Couture.” The film chronicles Valentino’s legacy as one of unapologetic glamour, merging Italian craftsmanship with the colorful flair of French couture. Beyond the clothes, however, Valentino devoted himself to one goal — helping the women wearing his designs feel beautiful.

There is certainly an allure to Valentino, as seen with his funeral in Rome, which drew people such as Anna Wintour and Gwyneth Paltrow, all of whom were not so much shocked as solemn about the passing of a friend. Valentino, in true fashion, was buried in the city where he had started it all. Today, as fashion historians and those interested in his life look back at his designs, they see a statement of timelessness and an unparalleled respect for the female form.