CDA: Valentino

The great Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani died yesterday at the age of 93. He opened his self-named house in 1960 and pretty quickly found a client base of women looking for glamorous outfits that were striking but not wacky or of-the-moment.

This overview of a 2010 Valentino retrospective done in Brisbane gives a brief glimpse of three of his most iconic designs:

1. The dress Jackie O wore when she married Onassis.

2. The dress Julia Roberts wore when she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

3. The dress "our own Cate Blanchett" wore when she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

I encourage you to see the 2008 documentary about him, Valentino, The Last Emperpor. It's touching, dazzling, and hilarious. Watch this preview through to the end, the last line is a scream.

Buona notte, signore.