Valentino the last emperor
Comments (0) I saw a documentary once about Karl Lagerfeld, it left an indelible impact on me, because it gave me an insight into the day to day life of a fashion supremo at work, I am told that Valentino the last emperor has the same if not more intriguing moments ( one such moments is when Karl Largerfeld proclaims that he and Valentino are the true masters and the rest are just making “RAGS” what a classic line). Taking his last bow before an adoring crowd of movie stars, royals, designers, socialites and supermodels during Paris’ haute couture shows in January. At 76, the designer most often referred to as the “sheik of chic”, received a standing ovation and shed a few tears himself when he was surrounded by models clad in his signature shade, “Valentino red.” Two years ago, at 75, Valentino was abruptly retired by Permira, the private equity group that had bought the company.
This attentive, affectionate portrait, by Matt Tyrnauer which traces the final year of the designer’s career, shows that it’s good to be the king. Valentino is the creative wellspring, the man whose intricate demands have to be satisfied. And he is not easily satisfied. One of the last designers whose couture was handmade — his assistants, one of his backers noted, never touched a sewing machine — he relies on his invisible artists, the seamstresses of northern Italy, for the anachronistic grace of his frocks. He designs the dresses; they make them. Antonietta de Angelis, the head seamstress of the house, has some of her boss’s imperious temperament. She knows that anything less than perfection is unacceptable, for a master who keeps wanting to improve on it. After designing a perfect white dress, a symphony of subtle movement, he ponders his creation and announces, “But some sequins can’t hurt.” Says Valentino Garavani “I know what women want,” “They want to be beautiful.” But the question any couturier must answer is, What kind of beautiful do they want to be?
