Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani once said, “When a woman wears red, the world stops.” He turned that idea into a symbol by creating his own signature shade—Valentino Red. The fashion house he founded in 1959 emerged in an era when fashion was structured more simply: social and political shifts were largely absorbed by street culture, while leading couturiers were expected above all to deliver beauty and elegance.
Valentino consistently met that expectation—and continued to do so even as the industry itself began to change rapidly. He was one of the few designers allowed, year after year, to present collections whose central purpose was to emphasize and reveal female beauty. His designs were chosen for official appearances by Princess Diana and Jacqueline Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow. Today, under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele, who has a keen sense of younger tastes, Valentino is worn by Zendaya and Sabrina Carpenter. On January 19, 2026, Valentino Garavani died.
He was 93 years old. We have assembled photographs capturing his life and work.
Valentino sketches in his Roman atelier. Before opening his own fashion house, he worked as an assistant to designers Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche—an experience that allowed him to grasp the classical French school of couture (that is, runway fashion closer to art than to everyday life).
Italian actress Virna Lisi tries on a dress at Valentino’s atelier in Rome. 1963.
Valentino poses with models in his Roman atelier. 1967.
Kirk Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor in a white Valentino dress at a party marking the anniversary of the release of the film Spartacus in Rome. Taylor did not appear in the film but came to support her friend Douglas. 1961.
Jacqueline Kennedy in a full Valentino look in New York. Jacqueline and Valentino met in Rome, a city the widow of John Kennedy visited frequently. After her husband’s assassination, Jacqueline decided she would no longer wear American designers—she was seeking restrained aristocratic elegance and found it in Valentino’s atelier, which became her principal fashion house for many years. This friendship is widely believed to have cemented his reputation as the leading creator of “intellectual luxury.” 1968.
Model Marisa Berenson in an embroidered jacket and Valentino shoes. Like red, white was a central color in Valentino’s work. For him it embodied purity and light, represented the highest form of elegance, and served as an alternative to black as a “color of status.” Valentino believed that the ability to work with white revealed much about a designer’s talent. In 1968, Valentino presented his celebrated “white collection,” which contained almost no garments in other colors.
Valentino with models wearing tights created from his own designs. November 1968.
Valentino with his partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Their relationship was both romantic and professional: Giammetti oversaw the Valentino business empire, while Garavani focused on the creative side.
Valentino with his partner Giancarlo Giammetti, as well as model Teya and photographer Gianpaolo Barbieri, in New York.
Brooke Shields and Valentino at a fashion show. January 1981.
Valentino shoes from the 1983 collection.
Valentino with Iman—one of the legendary supermodels. She is wearing a dress in the signature patented shade of red. 1984.
Valentino in the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008).
Valentino accessories from the 1983 collection.
Princess Diana in a velvet-and-lace Valentino dress in Lille. November 15, 1992.
Anne Hathaway in an evening Valentino gown and Bulgari jewelry at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. May 3, 2010.
Jennifer Lopez in a Valentino dress at the Academy Awards ceremony. March 23, 2003.
Cate Blanchett in a Valentino dress holding her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator. February 28, 2005.
Models at a Valentino fashion show held as part of the cultural program of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. The Italian designer was granted permission to stage the show inside Milan’s San Siro stadium. Six years earlier, for the 1984 Summer Olympics, Valentino had designed the official uniforms for the Italian national team. June 8, 1990.
A view of the exhibition marking the 45th anniversary of the Valentino fashion house at Rome’s Ara Pacis museum. July 6, 2007.
The presentation of the final collection created by Valentino Garavani at the Musée Rodin in Paris in 2008. After the designer decided to retire, Pierpaolo Piccioli became the house’s creative director. In 2024, Piccioli moved to Balenciaga, and Valentino’s design team came under the leadership of Alessandro Michele, who rose to prominence at Gucci.