Rome,Italy, 20 January (H.S.): Renowned Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93 in his Rome home, surrounded by loved ones, as announced by his foundation on Instagram on Monday.The Guardian reports that his body will lie in state at the foundation's Rome headquarters on Wednesday and Thursday, January 21-22, with a funeral scheduled for Friday, January 23, in the Italian capital.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute on X, hailing him as the undisputed master of style and elegance, and the eternal symbol of Italian haute couture—today Italy has lost a legend whose legacy will inspire generations.
Known simply as Valentino, he founded his eponymous fashion house in 1959, quickly attracting luminaries like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor as devotees. He designed costumes for Monica Vitti in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1961 film La Notte, while Jackie Kennedy wore his creations throughout the 1960s; notably, he married his partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, in 1968.
Valentino's signature red dresses, epitomized by the fiesta red tulle gown from his debut collection, became iconic, with the shade so influential that color authority Pantone officially recognized Valentino red.
Dominating fashion for 45 years until his 2007 retirement, Valentino dressed supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer off the catwalk, red-carpet stars including Julia Roberts, Laura Linney, and Penélope Cruz, and Princess Diana of Wales in her post-divorce years.
Born in 1932 near Milan in Voghera—a name his mother chose after silent film star Rudolph Valentino—childhood experiences shaped his impeccable suiting style and enduring legacy in Italian glamour.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
