Valentino Garavani, the iconic Italian fashion designer whose name became synonymous with opulence, femininity, and timeless elegance, has died at age 93.
His foundation confirmed he passed away Monday at his Rome residence, marking the end of an era that spanned nearly five decades of couture excellence.
Known simply by his first name, Valentino dressed generations of the world’s most famous women—from Elizabeth Taylor and Jacqueline Kennedy to Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow.
His philosophy was simple yet profound: make women feel beautiful, give them a glow, and celebrate femininity through luxurious design.
A Designer Who Put Women First
Throughout his storied 48-year career leading his eponymous house, Valentino maintained an unwavering focus on the women who wore his creations. His approach to fashion was never about ego or trends—it was about transformation.
The first and most important thing is that I try my hardest — with all my passion — to make a woman look beautiful and make dresses that are flattering to her body. A woman must feel like she has a glow.
This design philosophy, shared with Elle magazine in 2007, became the foundation of his enduring red-carpet dominance. From 1960 until his retirement in January 2008, Valentino created gowns that didn’t just clothe celebrities—they elevated moments into memories.
Dressing Hollywood Royalty and Actual Royalty
Elizabeth Taylor championed Valentino early in his career, wearing his gown to the 1960 Rome premiere of Spartacus. Their professional relationship blossomed into a deep friendship that spanned decades.
Valentino designed Taylor’s wardrobe for Night Watch (1973), but their collaboration extended far beyond cinema. He created two yellow gowns for her 1991 wedding to Larry Fortensky and another for the 1993 Academy Awards when she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Jacqueline Kennedy wore black Valentino dresses during her year of mourning following President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination. Five years later, she chose a cream two-piece ensemble from his famous 1968 “White Collection” for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis.
One particularly memorable design—a green one-shoulder caftan-style gown edged in beading—appeared on Kennedy during a 1967 Cambodia trip. Valentino would reimagine that iconic gown for Jennifer Lopez at the 2003 Academy Awards, demonstrating how his designs transcended time.
The Julia Roberts Moment That Defined His Career
While Valentino created countless memorable Oscar gowns—including Cate Blanchett’s yellow one-shoulder dress in 2005 and Reese Witherspoon’s beaded black gown in 2002—one moment stood above the rest.
When Julia Roberts accepted her best actress Oscar for Erin Brockovich in 2001, she wore a vintage black Valentino gown from his 1992 couture collection. The dress featured wide white satin piping running down the center front and fanning out onto its tulle train.
I have to be very sincere, the person that makes me feel very happy, also because [she] chose vintage, was Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich when she got the Academy Award. I was very excited. I was not in Los Angeles, but I saw on television, and I really was excited to see her when she appeared with my dress.
Valentino shared this reflection during a 2008 Venice Film Festival news conference, where the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor premiered.
From Voghera to International Fashion Icon
Born Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, Italy, the designer’s journey began in a small Lombardy town between Milan and Genoa. His mother Teresa named him after silent film star Rudolph Valentino, unknowingly predicting her son’s future among Hollywood’s elite.
Cinema profoundly influenced young Garavani, sparking his lifelong passion for creating beauty.
I was always so attracted by magazines, by films. I had a sister, she took me for the first time to see some films, and to me the dream of my life was to see the beautiful ladies of the silver screen. I remember [1941’s] Ziegfeld Girl: Hedy Lamarr, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Jimmy Stewart. You know for me, to see this sort of beauty, I think from that moment I decide I want to create clothes for ladies.
At 17, Garavani enrolled in fashion sketching courses at Milan’s Santa Maria Institute before moving to Paris to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts. His talent won him a design competition, leading to a position with celebrated Paris couturier Jean Dessès.
Building an Empire with Giancarlo Giammetti
In 1960, with financial backing from his father, Garavani presented his first collection in an apartment on Rome’s Via Condotti. That same year, he met Giancarlo Giammetti, an architecture student who became his longtime partner in both life and business.
Giammetti took over the business operations, freeing Valentino to focus entirely on design. Together, they became one of Milan’s most glamorous couples, building an empire that included multiple homes in Rome, New York, Capri, and beyond.
Their timing was impeccable. Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita (1960) spotlighted cosmopolitan Italy’s “sweet life,” and Valentino quickly found himself among a social circle including Anita Ekberg, Sophia Loren, and Marcello Mastroianni.
The Signature Color That Became a Legacy
From his very first collection, Valentino favored a specific shade of red—bright with the slightest tinge of orange. This hue became essential to his brand’s DNA, appearing in at least one dress in every collection.
Red is life, passion, love; it’s the cure for sadness. I think that a woman dressed in red, especially in the evening, is splendid. Among the crowd, it’s the perfect image of a heroine.
For his final 2008 collection, following a spring/summer haute-couture showcase filled with ultra-feminine pastels and floral details, Valentino honored his favorite color. All 40 models appeared in a finale wearing identical silk gowns, bias-cut with asymmetrical necklines, all in Valentino red.
Today, Pantone Color Institute recognizes that exact shade—a blend of 100 percent magenta, 100 percent yellow, and 10 percent black—as “Valentino Red.”
Retirement and Lasting Impact
At age 75, celebrating his 45th anniversary in fashion, Valentino decided January 2008 was the perfect time to retire. He wanted to leave on a high note, with his creative vision intact and his legacy secure.
Though Valentino and Giammetti ended their romantic relationship in 1972, they remained lifelong business partners and friends. In 2011, they launched the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, a high-tech online exploration of his archives, while developing a retrospective exhibition that toured globally.
Their 2016 collaboration resulted in Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, a Rome-based foundation supporting underprivileged children, elderly populations, and cultural programs.
Valentino will lie in state at PM23 in Piazza Mignanelli 23 on Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. His funeral takes place Friday at 11 a.m. at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Piazza della Repubblica 8 in Rome.
A Gift Few Receive
When Valentino announced his retirement in September 2007, his statement reflected the gratitude that defined his career and life.
Even as a young boy, my passion was to design, and I have been very lucky to be able to do what I have loved all my life. There can be few greater gifts than that.
That passion, combined with his unwavering dedication to making women feel beautiful, created a legacy that extends far beyond red carpets and haute-couture runways. Valentino didn’t just dress women—he celebrated them, elevated them, and gave them the glow he believed every woman deserved.