The Maison Valentino is a truly beautiful house, one that transcends time and fashion. A fabulous recap of a man, Valentino Garavani, who taught the world what elegance is and who, today, in passing the baton, continues to do so.

THE HISTORY OF MAISON VALENTINO
John Fairchild nicknamed him 'The Sheikh of Chic'. And who could blame him? <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/valentino-collezione-autunno-inverno-2021-in-live-streaming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valentino</a> is, and always will be, the man who has sketched the contours of elegance with a confident and fluid hand. The designer has transposed a beautiful story onto fabric, the perfect blend of the Italian spirit combined with that quintessentially French attitude, always striving for beauty and charm. Today, the names have changed, but not the essence of a brand that continues to inspire dreams destined to never end. From Valentino Garavani to Pierpaolo Piccioli and <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/maria-grazia-chiuri-roma-moda-femminismo-dior" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maria Grazia Chiuri</a>, the fabulous recap of the Roman fashion house, owned since 2012 by the Qatari fund Mayhoola, which enchants Hollywood and the international jet set just like a modern fairytale.
Scroll down to discover the incredible story of the Valentino brand with L'Officiel Italia.

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani was just 17 years old when he arrived <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/paris-folies-la-haute-couture-conquista-parigi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Paris</a> in 1950 to study fashion at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He had clear ideas and a talent to channel into the right formula. <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/mostra-alaia-balenciaga-scualptors-of-shape-cristobal-balenciaga-museum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Balenciaga</a> , Jean Dessès, and <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/guy-laroche-aw17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guy Laroche</a> were the ateliers where he worked, honing his techniques and absorbing the complex dynamics of an elite, sophisticated world, frequented by distinctive personalities, to which Valentino Garavani was naturally predestined.

Valentino Garavani in his Roman atelier

Valentino, where the story begins

Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti

A year after opening his atelier <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/arte/damien-hirst-mostra-galleria-borghese-roma-opere-foto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Via Condotti in Rome</a> , Valentino Garavani met <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/audrey-hepburn-foto-inedite" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Giancarlo Giammetti</a> in 1959, then an architecture student. Together, they began writing the story of a brand that would become a symbol of aristocratic elegance, perfectly balanced between romanticism and audacity. Giancarlo Giammetti oversaw every managerial aspect of the company while the couturier worked on the collection that would mark the label&#39;s official debut. In July 1962, under the lights of the sumptuous Sala Bianca at Palazzo Pitti <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/uomo/film-wonderwall-intelligenza-artificiale-sustainable-style-2-pitti-uomo-99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in Florence,</a> and before an exclusive audience, a series of exquisitely tailored evening gowns were presented. It was a resounding success, and for the first time, French Vogue decided to feature an Italian designer on its cover.

Valentino's debut in 1962 at Palazzo Pitti in Florence

Valentino's debut at Palazzo Pitti in 1962

White Collection, Valentino 1968 Henry Clarke

Carmine, perhaps, but not purple. And no, it&#39;s not even fiery red. Valentino Red is now a registered trademark with a very precise color formula: a blend that balances 100% magenta, 100% yellow, with just 10% black. So much for imitators! Legend has it that the couturier, during his Parisian years, was captivated by the solemn atmosphere of the Barcelona Opera, including the guests dressed in red. And it was like a bolt from the blue. <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/valentino-daydream-haute-couture-2019-cina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">That red</a> made such an impression on him, or rather, it got under his skin so much that it became the only color capable of competing with another winning hue, the graphic duo of black and white. In 2007, for the exhibition &quot; Valentino in Rome: 45 Years of Style,&quot; curated at the Ara Pacis by Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda, 300 mannequins modeled around the swan-necked silhouette of Princess Marella Caracciolo were set up and dressed in the master&#39;s red masterpieces. Valentino was all-encompassing. Scroll down to discover the incredible story of the Valentino brand with L&#39;Officiel Italia.

Valentino in Rome: 45 Years of Style, an exhibition at the Ara Pacis in 2007

Rosso Valentino, the formula

Who are the Val&#39;s Gals?

Michelangelo Antonioni, Valentino, and Monica Vitti during the making of the 1960 film La Notte.

Jaqueline Onassis wears the wedding dress designed for her by Valentino

Liz Taylor wears a Valentino dress

Audrey Hepburn on the set of the 1963 film Charade

The Valentino style embodies an absolute concept of elegance that has little to do with short-term seasonal trends. The couturier's fashion has the task of providing an aesthetic memory of absolute beauty through the passage of time. From the choice of <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/vestiti-a-fiori-primavera-estate-2021-piu-belli-tendenze-moda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">floral-design</a> fabrics to polka dots, from the abstract and then doubled initials that anticipate the <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/significato-sfilata-gucci-aria-cento-anni-curiosita" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decorative concept of the logo</a>, these are all choices indicative of an attitude of wanting to interpose itself exactly halfway between ornament and message. Valentino dresses in the 1960s have trapeze shapes, bows and flowers; they are made of chiffon and seduce the gaze with a sophisticated use of transparencies. The revolutionary 1970s are condensed in the slanted and asymmetrical cuts of the skirts; finally, it is the power suit that imposes the well-known rigid shapes and structured shoulders on the Valentino silhouette of the 1980s.

Valentino jeans, from Viva Jeanswear by Bruce Weber to levi's, 1979 and 2021

In 1979, Valentino chose <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/proenza-schouler-collezione-autunno-inverno-2021-sfilata-foto-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York</a> and Studio 54 to present and launch Viva Jeanswear, a youthful and contemporary line immortalised by Bruce Weber. And while denim isn't exactly a fabric that easily fits into the Valentino lexicon, it has nevertheless become a hybrid space for experimentation. With the project with Levi's, part of the <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/valentino-collezione-spring-summer-2021-review-immagini-milano-fashion-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spring/Summer 2021 collection,</a> Pierpaolo Piccioli revisits a <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/levis-miu-miu-upcycled-denim-jeans-vintage-collezione-foto-prezzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pair of historic Levi's jeans</a> <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/levis-miu-miu-upcycled-denim-jeans-vintage-collezione-foto-prezzo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">,</a> the 1969 517 bootcut, the only ones the designer loves to wear.

When <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/julia-roberts-compleanno-stile-looks-anni-90-ispirazione-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Julia Roberts</a> received the <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/premio-oscar-dove-lo-tengono-le-star-in-bagno" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar</a> for Best Actress in 2001 for her role in Erin Brockovich, it was a double victory: for the actress, it was the most coveted award in Hollywood, and for fashion, it marked the beginning of a new trend, the rediscovery of archive choices. That night, Julia Roberts chose not to wear a new creation, but a Valentino dress from the Haute Couture collection presented nine years earlier, in 1992. She was preceded in 1993 by Lorella Cuccarini at the Sanremo Music Festival on the Ariston stage with Pippo Baudo. Such magic was condensed into a black velvet, silk, and tulle gown defined by a V-neck and a continuous ivory line running the length of the silhouette. For Julia Roberts, the dress was obviously a success. To this day, it is considered one of the most iconic fashion dresses in Oscar history. So much so that the Valentino dress even has its own <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestito_bianco_e_nero_Valentino_di_Julia_Roberts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia page</a> . Since it is not a fashion house open to made-to-measure service, in 2012 comes the exception to the rule that causes a sensation: just for <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/anne-hathaway-tutti-i-look-dior-versace-per-il-film-locked-down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anne Hathaway</a> , adored like a daughter, Valentino designs her wedding dress, a dream in silk, tulle and flowers on pale pink cady that today still inspires many brides to be. Scroll down to discover the incredible story of the Valentino brand with L&#39;Officiel Italia.

Julia Roberts at the 2001 Oscars wearing a 1992 Valentino Couture dress

Julia Roberts and that Valentino from the archives

Valentino and the world of cinema, not just behind the scenes

While the lights and shadows of the fashion world were laid bare in Robert Altman's famous 1994 film Pr&ecirc;t-&agrave; - Porter, which made many designers present in Paris turn up their noses, including Valentino Garavani, in 2006 with David Frankel's <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/il-diavolo-veste-prada-diventa-musica" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Devil Wears Prada</a>, he was the only designer to play himself, as well as design <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/pop-culture/meryl-streep-film-piu-belli" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meryl Streep</a>'s outfit in the scene in which they appear and act together. Anticipating Valentino's recent debut on the scene was filmmaker Katharina Otto with Beautopia (1998). Fascinated by how, in the 1990s, the dream of becoming a top model replaced that of making it as an actress for teenagers, she set out to document their frenetic and wonderful lives with many designers in the background, including Valentino Garavani. In 2008, the big screen definitively crowned him as the last emperor of fashion and beauty, as well as reaffirming his dedication to his mission as a creator that had never wavered in almost half a century of activity. Valentino: The Last Emperor, a film directed by Matt Tyrnauer, documents better than any other medium the final act of Monsieur Garavani's glorious life as a designer. This extraordinary portrait will be followed by two other equally intriguing video appearances: in Zoolander 2 during the Valentino show hosted by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, and in Franca: Chaos and Creation , a documentary film. written and directed by Francesco Carozzini and presented at the Venice Film Festival in 2017.

Beautopia, The Model Movie, 1998 by Katharina Otto-Bernstein

Meryl Streep and Valentino Garavani in a scene from the film Thje Devi Wears Prada, 2006 by David Frankel

Valentino The Last Emperor, poster of the documentary film directed by Matt Tyrnauer in 2008

The identifying symbol of Valentino Rockstud shoes is the stud. Square, cruciform, and metallic, it pays homage to ancient Rome and the rustication technique used to build the facades of noble palaces. In 2010, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, newly appointed creative directors after a year of Alessandra Facchinetti, launched what would become the most profitable product in the brand's modern history. Between 2014 and 2019, <a href="https://www.thefashionlaw.com/valentino-says-rockstud-pump-is-just-as-famous-as-louboutins-red-sole/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to The Fashion Law,</a> <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/video/vb-valentino-rockstud-untitled-02" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rockstud</a> sales will generate over $152 million. Valentino Rockstud shoes debuted in the Fall/Winter 2010/11 collection, leaving the public simultaneously surprised and captivated. A simple and refined design, yet punctuated by the sharp element of the square stud, perfectly encapsulates that elegant, sensual, and incisive vision, exclusively by Valentino. And then there's the heel, either strictly kitten or ultra-flat. Of course, there's a 10-centimetre version, but we all agree on which one is the most convincing. Six years after the studded <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/tendenza-scarpe-primavera-estate-2021-sling-back-ballerine-mocassini" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valentino shoes</a>, the matching bag also arrives. Accompanied by an equally "rebellious" campaign shot by Terry Richardson, the Rockstud Bag, beloved by Valentino fans, is launched on the market, today reinterpreted with a <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/rockstud-alcove-valentino-collabora-con-betony-vernon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">very special project by Bethony Vernon.</a> In October 2020, Piccioli launches <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/news/dieci-anni-di-valentino-garavani-rockstud" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valentino Garavani Rockstud X,</a> a creative project celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Valentino Garavani Rockstud accessories line. International designers and artists are called upon to offer your own interpretation &nbsp; of the &ldquo;Stud&rdquo;, where the English designer <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/moncler-genius-craig-green-colelzione-primavera-estate-2021-foto-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Craig Green is leading the way.</a> Scroll down to discover the incredible story of the Valentino brand with L'Officiel Italia.

Valentino Rockstud Fall Winter 2010/11 Fashion Show Mariagrazia Chiuri Pier Paolo Piccioli

Valentino shoes, in 2010 the Rockstud was born and a new era began

Valentino Fall Winter 2010 Rockstud Shoes Maria Grazia Chiuri Pierpaolo Piccioli

rockstud VALENTINO terry richardson bag

Valentino Fall Winter 2010 red Rockstud shoes Maria Grazia Chiuri Pierpaolo Piccioli

In 2008, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli, previously heads of accessories at Valentino, who were personally appointed to that role in 1999, became creative directors of the Roman fashion house. They were responsible for the brand's rebirth, thanks to a careful reinterpretation of its DNA combined with a more contemporary vision of luxury and elegance. Their prolific co-direction ended in 2016 when their twenty-five-year partnership, first as students at IED in Rome, then <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/fendi-storia-del-brand-karl-lagerfeld-silvia-venturini-carriera" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at Fendi</a> , and finally at Valentino, opened up new opportunities for professional growth. Chiuri surprisingly left the company to become the first woman to lead the creative direction of <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/dior-storia-tarocchi-curiosita-su-christian-dior-superstizioso" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian Dior</a> , leaving Piccioli to take the helm alone at Valentino.

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli enchant and convince

From the hand of Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani to that of Pierpaolo Piccioli, the magic remains the same. In July 2007, at the Maison Valentino&#39;s 45th anniversary celebration, suspended ballerinas dressed in red floated in front of the Colosseum under a magical Roman starry sky. In 2020, at Cinecittà, <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/valentino-show-haute-coture-a-roma-ed-evento-digitale-con-nick-knight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piccioli presented the Fall/Winter 2020/21 Haute Couture collection,</a> assisted by the expert hand of photographer and art director Nick Knight. Ethereal figures draped in white silk, organza, and taffeta twirl, to the poignant vocals of <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/moda/burberry-borsa-olympia-campagna-fka-twigs-kendall-jenner-shygirl-foto-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FKA Twigs,</a> suspended in the velvety darkness of the film studios. Talk about wavelength. Since the brand&#39;s turnaround, there has been no shortage of positive signs and prestigious recognition: in 2015, the creative duo Chiuri-Piccioli received the CFDA International Award; In 2017, now the sole Creative Director, Piccioli was named Designer of the Year at the third edition of the InStyle Awards. This was followed in 2018 by another Designer of the Year award at the 2018 Fashion Awards in London. Last but not least, in 2020, a new CFDA International Womens Designer of the Year Award was added, presented by none other than <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/fashion-week/tom-ford-sfilata-autunno-inverno-2021-uomo-donna-immagini-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Ford, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America</a> .

From the aerial ballet with red Valentino dresses in Rome in 2007, to the suspended models of Valentino Haute Couture in 2020 at Cinecittà

Valentino's story is made of magic

1959: Valentino opens his atelier in Rome 1962: the international debut at the Sala Bianca of Palazzo Pitti in Florence 1967: Among the Italian designers awarded the prestigious Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in Dallas, the doors to the American luxury market will finally open for him. 1968: The White Collection debuts, breaking the trend of those years&#39; brightly colored aesthetics. The concept of a logo featuring the initials is born. 1976: Valentino chooses to show his boutique line in Paris, leaving his Haute Couture line in Rome. In 1989, he moves that to Paris as well. 1978: The ready-to-wear line is born, thanks to the collaboration with the Gruppo Finanziario Tessile and, at the same time, the maison&#39;s first perfume, called Valentino Classique, debuts. 1979: The first Valentino jeans are launched on the market in New York: Viva Jeanswear is the name of the line 1986: Oliver by Valentino arrives, a young and fresh second line, a tribute to the beloved namesake pug whose face will also become the logo. 1999: Valentino Garavani himself asks Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli to become managers of the Valentino accessories area, Valentino Garavani. 2003: Chiuri and Piccioli are named co-creative directors of the <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/news/redvalentino-collabora-con-la-central-saint-martins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new youth line REDValentino</a> , an acronym for Romantic Eccentric Dress. In May 2021, the company releases a statement regarding its closure in 2024 with the Fall/Winter 2023/24 collection. 2007: On October 3rd in Paris, Valentino Garavani presents his latest spring summer 2008 collection. It is the year of celebrations and the exhibition Valentino in Rome: 45 years of Style. 2008: On January 23rd, Valentino Garavani&#39;s final haute couture collection premiered at the Musée Rodin in Paris, with a moving finale. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli became co-creative directors of all the Maison&#39;s lines. 2011: The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum debuts. A digital experience that illustrates the brand&#39;s fifty-year fashion history for the first time. 2012: Mayhoola for Investments, a Qatari fund, acquires the Valentino brand from Permira for a consideration of 710 million euros. 2015 The film Zoolander 2 arrives and to launch the film, the main models Derek Zoolander and Hansel, actors Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, make a surprise appearance at the Valentino Autumn/Winter 2015-16 show wearing two looks from the Spring/Summer 2015 Men&#39;s Collection. 2016: After the departure of Maria Grazia Chiuri from Dior, Pierpaolo Piccioli is appointed sole Creative Director of Valentino. 2017: Piccioli is elected Designer of the Year at the third edition of the InStyle Awards 2018: Wins Designer of the Year at the 2018 London Fashion Awards 2020: In September, Piccioli, in support of the Italian fashion system and due to obvious logistical complications caused by the pandemic, presented his Spring/Summer 2021 collection in Milan at the close of Fashion Week, leaving Paris empty-handed. At the same time <a href="https://www.lofficielitalia.com/beauty/voce-viva-valentino-profumo-ladygaga" target="_blank" rel="noopener">, Voce Viva Valentino, the Maison&#39;s latest fragrance</a> , debuted, with Lady Gaga as its spokesperson.

The Story of Valentino Garavani: Fashion’s Eternal Emperor

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