Valentino Garavani was not only passionate about red, he was also a fanatic of beauty and he established himself as a red carpet favourite regardless of the decade.

With 360 designs that spanned every stage of his career, in 2007 Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani celebrated 45 years in the fashion industry. The exhibition at the Ara Pacis Museum was an unforgettable milestone not only for the Italian designer but also for his collaborators in the atelier and for fashion in general. Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld were close to the designer&mdash;something unusual in a world full of egos and competition&mdash;and several of his colleagues celebrated the moment with him, especially Lagerfeld.
&ldquo;Compared to us, the rest are just making rags,&rdquo; the renowned creative director of Chanel would say in that immense documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008). Beyond his relationship with Giancarlo Giammetti and his immense affection for his pugs, the documentary showcased his passion for creating garments that stand out through details, tailoring, and raw materials&mdash;something that led him to become a true master of red carpets, awards ceremonies, and more. Or a ma&icirc;tre de la mode, as he himself would define himself, speaking in his beloved French, a language he practised from a very young age and which he insisted Giammetti speak when they met in 1960.
If we go back to Valentino's origins as creative director and main driving force behind his brand, we can better understand why there is such a passion for evening gowns and how he earned the admiration of his demanding colleagues.
Garavani moved from Voghera to Via Condotti after a dedicated period of apprenticeship: he studied at the &Eacute;cole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, an experience that laid the foundation for his craft. His apprenticeships with two giants of fashion history, Jean Dess&egrave;s and Guy Laroche, further shaped his style. With the Egyptian designer, he learned to create garments as if they were sculptures, while the Frenchman&mdash;Dess&egrave;s's former assistant&mdash;guided him toward sophistication. After this period, he returned to Italy and opened his first boutique in Rome in 1959, the same year he launched his first collection, garnering rave reviews from the fashion press.

From there, it was just a small step to Hollywood and Cinecitt&agrave;. Elizabeth Taylor was interested in the Italian designer's work, and in 1961, while visiting Rome for the premiere of Spartacus, she decided to meet him in person and commission an unforgettable look. Inspired by ancient sculptures and in the purest Juventas style, Garavani designed a long white dress with feather appliqu&eacute;s. Thus began a long friendship between the actress and the designer, who would also dress her for her wedding to Larry Fortensky in 1991.
A common trait for Valentino was maintaining lasting friendships with his clients, all of them imposing and glamorous: in addition to Taylor, the designer was close to Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Diana, Princess of Wales, and, of course, Jacqueline Kennedy, whom he met in 1964 and with whom he even vacationed in Capri. In 1968, he designed the wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis.
Shortly before celebrities&mdash;or their stylists&mdash;chose him to create their red carpet looks, Valentino already understood how to make stars shine. In 1960, he was selected to design the dresses Monica Vitti wore in Antonioni's classic La Notte, while Fellini featured his designs on the set of 8 1/2 (1963). These two moments were pivotal in helping the Italian designer find his true calling, one that led him to dress princesses and powerful women, divas and rising stars, such as Anne Hathaway in the early 2000s, whom he met on the set of The Devil Wears Prada (2005).

Although he didn't completely abandon the ready-to-wear concept&mdash;launching fragrances, accessories, jeans lines, and more&mdash;Garavani made his evening gowns a fashion must-have. Before selling his brand in 1998 and retiring from the runway in 2008, he appeared alongside Sharon Stone in Cannes in 1995; Jessica Lange accepted the Oscar in 1983 for one of his creations, and Halle Berry, Cate Blanchett and Gwyneth Paltrow chose him for numerous occasions.
But the moment that cemented his importance to the masses was when Julia Roberts received the Oscar for Erin Brockovich in 2001. The actress wore an archive Valentino in black and velvet from the FW 1992 collection, demonstrating the timelessness of his designs and the importance of the designer's eternal compass: "I love beauty, it's not my fault," the designer later asserted in an interview immortalised in the documentary about his life, a phrase that sums up his style and the key to his success.

Valentino Garavani: The Maestro of Red

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