The House of Valentino has long stood as a symbol of Italian excellence, couture romance, and bold femininity. Following the news of founder Valentino Garavani’s passing, we take a moment to reflect on the milestones that transformed his atelier into a global fashion institution. From iconic couture shows to pop-culture moments that reshaped the brand’s identity, these are the ten defining moments and a peak into his life’s story that forever imprinted Valentino onto the historic pages of fashion.
Maison Valentino, Est. 1959
Born in 1932 in Voghera, Italy, Valentino Garavani’s devotion to fashion began remarkably early at an apprenticeship under a local designer while he was in primary school, before moving to Paris at just 17 to study at the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. There, he honed his craft in the ateliers of Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Jean Dessès, and Guy Laroche, absorbing the discipline of haute couture and the poetry of silhouette.
In 1959, he returned to Italy with a vision of building his own maison, founding Valentino in Rome alongside Giancarlo Giammetti, his business partner and lifelong companion. Together they shaped the house’s global presence with Valentino focusing on creation. From the beginning, the house stood for elegance, romance, and exceptional craftsmanship, values that would define Valentino for more than six decades.
The Brides of Valentino
Few fashion houses are as intrinsically woven into modern bridal history as Valentino. For decades, royals, celebrities, and society icons have turned to the Roman maison for one of the most important garments of their lives.
The legacy began in 1968, when Jackie Kennedy chose an off-the-rack Valentino lace gown to marry Aristotle Onassis which was a moment that quietly reshaped the bridal industry and cemented Valentino as the ultimate couturier of modern romance. From Anne Hathaway and Nicola Peltz-Beckham to Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece, Courteney Cox, and Elizabeth Taylor, the maison’s bridal creations have become synonymous with elegance, intimacy, and cinematic beauty.
Since then, Valentino has continued to dress generations of high-profile brides. Jennifer Lopez married Cris Judd in 2001 wearing a white lace Valentino gown and veil, while Gwyneth Paltrow echoed the house’s timeless femininity in a similar silhouette for her 2018 wedding to Brad Falchuk. In 2015, Nicky Hilton married James Rothschild in London in a high-neck lace gown designed by then creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Valentino Red: The Signature Dress
Few fashion signatures are as instantly recognisable as Valentino red. From the very beginning, the colour was woven into the house’s identity, debuting in the designer’s first-ever collection for Spring/Summer 1959 in a design called Fiesta. Vivid, romantic, and unapologetically powerful, the shade would go on to become Valentino’s most enduring symbol — one so distinctive it later received its own official Pantone designation.
As a teenager, Valentino Garavani said to have been mesmerised during a night at the opera, watching a production of Carmen in which the performers were dressed almost entirely in red. The memory stayed with him, shaping a visual language that would come to define decades of couture.
Over the years, Valentino red has appeared on countless red carpets and global stages, worn by the likes of Jennifer Aniston, the Valentino red became an emotion: confidence, romance, and unmistakable presence, distilled into fabric.
When Icons became Valentino muses on the runway
Throughout the house’s history, Valentino Garavani frequently invited cultural icons to step into his world, transforming his couture shows into moments of true spectacle. In January 1981, a then-teenage Brooke Shields walked the runway at Valentino’s haute couture show in Rome, closing the presentation in a ruffled pink gown beside the designer himself — a striking intersection of cinema, celebrity, and couture.
More than a decade later, Christy Turlington took to the runway for Valentino’s Spring/Summer 1993 haute couture show, embodying the refined sensuality and sculptural elegance that defined the maison in the 1990s. These appearances were never gimmicks; they reflected Valentino’s instinct for aligning his creations with women who shaped beauty ideals of their time.
Valentino Garavani’s Farewell Couture Show
After nearly five decades at the helm of his maison, Valentino Garavani closed one of fashion’s most illustrious chapters with his final couture show in Paris in July 2008. Held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, the presentation was less a runway and more a living tribute to the art of haute couture — an intimate, jewel-toned celebration of a lifetime of elegance, romance, and impeccable craftsmanship.
Models glided down the runway in exquisitely hand-embroidered gowns, delicate silk tulle, and signature Valentino silhouettes, while the front row was filled with celebrities, royals, and longtime collaborators who had been part of his world for decades. The moment and the the atmosphere was so iconic it received a standing ovation that bridged generations of fashion devotees, a quiet pause for reflection, and a collective acknowledgment of Valentino’s unparalleled contribution to style.
Valentino on Screen
In 2006, Valentino Garavani made a memorable cameo as himself in the blockbuster The Devil Wears Prada, appearing backstage with Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly at a recreated fashion week show — a delightful intersection of real couture legend and Hollywood fiction that introduced him to broader audiences outside the fashion world.
His life and career were also chronicled in the acclaimed documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008), which offered unprecedented access into his creative world and partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti.
Beyond cameos, Valentino’s creations have become part of the visual language of some of the most stylish screen moments of recent years. His couture and ready-to-wear pieces have featured prominently in influential TV shows such as Sex and the City, And Just Like That where Carrie Bradshaw wears a jaw-dropping orange Valentino gown and Emily in Paris, where signature Valentino looks and accessories help define character style and storylines.
Valentino on The Red Carpet
Valentino’s creations have become part of Hollywood history on the world’s most glamorous red carpets. One of the most unforgettable moments came at the 2001 Academy Awards, when Julia Roberts wore a vintage black and white Valentino dress from the house’s archives to accept her Best Actress Oscar for Erin Brockovich. The gown — with its striking white Y‑shaped piping against rich black velvet — is still cited as one of the most iconic Oscar looks of all time, and Valentino himself called it one of his proudest design moments.
Valentino’s influence continued with other major stars: Cate Blanchett stunned in a pale yellow silk taffeta Valentino gown when she won Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator at the 2005 Oscars, a look celebrated as classic Hollywood elegance.
In more recent years, Valentino’s designs have continued to shine. At the 2022 Oscars, Zendaya made a statement in custom Valentino separates, blending modernity with timeless glamour that echoed the house’s couture spirit. Beyond the Oscars, stars often choose Valentino for other major red‑carpet moments: Jessica Lange wore sequined mint green Valentino at her 1983 Oscar win, Sophia Loren opted for the house at her honorary Oscar in 1991, and Anne Hathaway’s red Valentino gown at the 2011 Oscars remains a beloved image from her fashion archives.
Valentino Garavani presents Spring 1968 “White Collection”
In 1968, Valentino Garavani brought his signature elegance across the Atlantic with the presentation of his “White Collection” at the St. Regis Hotel in New York. The collection, composed entirely of white gowns and ensembles, showcased his mastery of cut, drape, and couture craftsmanship — proving that his designs could transcend both European sophistication and American sensibilities.
The choice of white emphasized purity, structure, and silhouette, allowing each design to stand as a study in form and detail. The presentation marked a turning point in Valentino’s international career, earning him recognition from American buyers, celebrities, and the press. It was one of the first major demonstrations that the house could captivate audiences far beyond Rome, establishing Valentino as a global arbiter of elegance and couture excellence.
The Valentino “V” and the Rockstud legacy
While Rockstuds were introduced later (2010, under Chiuri & Piccioli), they are rooted in Valentino Garavani’s obsession with Roman architecture and embellishment — motifs Valentino himself constantly referenced in couture. The studded accessories became one of the most commercially successful luxury codes of the 21st century, redefining Valentino’s accessories identity and turning the house into a global powerhouse beyond couture.
Alessandro Michele’s Valentino
In 2024, Valentino entered a new creative era with the appointment of Alessandro Michele as Creative Director — a move that signalled a bold shift in visual language and cultural direction for the house. Known for reshaping Gucci with his maximalist, romantic, and historically layered aesthetic, Michele’s arrival at Valentino was met with global anticipation.
Rather than waiting for a traditional runway debut, Michele surprised the industry by releasing his first collection digitally on the final day of Milan Men’s Fashion Week. Titled Avant les Débuts — “before the beginnings” — the Pre-Spring 2025 collection was nothing short of monumental, comprising 171 looks across ready-to-wear, accessories, and jewellery.
The collection introduced Michele’s Valentino through an opulent, eclectic lens. It established the emotional and aesthetic codes of his vision before he ever staged a runway show.
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Images & Feature Image: Supplied
