Valentino Garavani
3B - A'Yazmon Thornwell & Dairia Tucker
Personal Statistics
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, born May 11, 1932 in Voghera, Italy. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts is Paris. He found an apprenticeship with Jean Desses, where he helped Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, style icon, sketch her dress ideas. In 1960 Valentino went to Rome, and opened a fashion house on Via Condotti. Valentino made his international breakthrough in Florence in 1962. After his show made a breakthrough in Florence, Valentino started dressing ladies of the internationally best dressed crowd. September 4, 2007, Valentino announced he would fully retire in January of 2008 after last haute couture show, which was presented in Paris on January 23 in 2008. He is still alive today and is 82 years old.
Accomplishments
Valentino is known as an Italian fashion designer and founder of the Valentino SpA brand and company. His main lines are Valentino, Valentino Garavani, Valentino Roma/ Uomo, and R.E.D. Valentino. He is famous for creating elegant occasion gowns in black, white, and his trademark red. He influenced the 1600s - 2000s. In 1967, Valentino received the Neiman Marcus Award in Dallas, TX. In 1986, he is appointed by the Italian Republic President the Italian Highest Officials award. He was also given the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award. In 2000, the CFDA awarded him with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement award. On July 6, 2006, Valentino was awarded the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honor). In January of 2008, he was presented the Medal of the City of Paris for his fashion services. Lastly, on September 7, 2011, Valentino was presented with the 6th annual Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.
Fashion Classification
Valentino products include women and men apparel, bags/ purses, shoes, accessories, fragrances, eyewear, and watches. It is classified as bridge because he has a label, the most expensive ready-to-wear, it's limited edition, and sold in upscale, fashionable stores/ shops. Valentino prices range from $500 to $7000 and up, but typically sells for hundreds of dollars.
Style Information
Valentino used sparkling-jewel toned colors and complex embroideries enhancing his dream-like imaginative fabrics, and lovely silhouettes to transform the woman of diverse proportions into a "million dollar babe". Valentino's style is elegant, sophisticated, and timeless.
Important & Significant
- In 1962, Valentino showed a couture collection at the Pitti Palace in Florence for the first time to critical acclaim. This was seen as his breakthrough and he soon became the go-to for dressing the glitterati.
- Having established himself as the top designer in Italian haute couture, in 1967 he was awarded the prestigious Neiman Marcus Award for his infamous 'no-color collection' for which he bucked the trend for decadent color palettes, opting instead for beige, white, and ivory hues. It was this collection that saw the ubiquitous 'V' become his trademark.
- A month after announcing he was to retire from designing, he presented his final ready-to-wear show during the spring/summer 2008 fashion week in Paris. The show saw a host a famous models turn out to support the designer including Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova.