Legendary Fashion Designer, Valentino, Passes Away at 93
Valentino Garavani, the iconic Italian fashion designer behind the Valentino brand, died Monday at his home in Rome at age 93.
Born in Voghera, Italy on May 11, 1932, Garavani founded his company in 1960 with business partner Giancarlo Giammetti after studying fashion in Paris. He became famous for romantic designs in his signature “Valentino red” shade. Notable clients included Elizabeth Taylor, who wore his gown to the 1960 Spartacus premiere, and Jacqueline Kennedy, who ordered six mourning dresses after President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
Garavani also designed Kennedy’s 1968 wedding outfit for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis. He retired in January 2008 and appeared in The Devil Wears Prada. “This was the best thing, for me to create dresses,” he once said.