Valentino Garavani died on Monday, January 19. He was 93.
“Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,” the iconic fashion designer’s foundation said in a statement shared via Instagram.
The message continued, “The lying in state will be held at PM23 in Piazza Mignanelli 23 on Wednesday, January 21st and Thursday, January 22nd, from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm.”
His foundation also shared that his funeral “will take place on Friday, January 23rd at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, in Piazza della Repubblica 8 in Rome, at 11 am.”
Garavani was beloved by celebrities including Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Anne Hathaway, Dua Lipa and more. Jackie Kennedy was also a muse for the designer.
Garavani was born in 1932 in Italy and was best known for his famous red dresses, leopard prints and glamorous gowns. In 1960, he met Giancarlo Giammetti, who co-founded the brand and was his romantic partner for 12 years. The pair later transitioned their romance to a professional relationship.
Back in 2011, Garavani reflected on his career in an interview with The Talks. When asked if he ever imagined his line taking off as it did, he replied, “When you start it’s quite difficult to dream for everybody. But of course you have aspirations. I did a very important collection in 1968 and I realized that I was quite good.”
He added, “All the magazines and everybody came to visit me. I became quite well known for my glamour and my femininity and women started to love my clothes.”
Garavani also shared that he has not always been a fan of trends throughout the years.
“Fashion has changed every decade very strongly. I like the ’60s quite a bit, I like the ’70s very much. But I hated the ’80s,” he said. “I think that was something extremely vulgar. Ladies that were crazy to buy clothes but the looks were not beautiful: big shoulders, short dresses, hair like mountains… I never liked it. But I enjoyed the ’90s quite a bit.”
The designer revealed that he “sometimes” dreams of dresses and then wakes up to draw a quick sketch. “I’m also inspired if I go to a museum like the Hermitage in St. Petersburg or if I visit China and see the old costumes of its national theater,” he added. “I get a lot [of] inspiration from these sorts of things, but never from a woman. I do the dress for a woman, but I don’t take inspiration from them.”
According to i-D magazine, Garavani gushed about a career highlight in 2001. At the time, Julia Roberts wore a black-and-whtie design while taking home the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Erin Brokovich. Her dress featured a plunging neckline with white straps and a vertical white line cascading down her skirt. The dress was finished with an airy tulle train.
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