162 Valentino

First name in fashion

The glamorous life and work of Valentino Garavani

Think Valentino: think luxury. Think elegance. Think red carpet. Fashion’s most beloved upholder
of refined decadence and the most exciting couturier in business is known around the globe simply
by his first name. Only a few years after opening his fashion house in Rome in 1959, Valentino was
already at the height of success, counting Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn
among his devotees. Over forty years later, not much has changed—he’s still dressing the top
celebrities, from Gwyneth Paltrow to J.Lo, though now his business is a major economic force in
Italy and his fashion house is among the most famous in the world. Valentino has always designed
clothes for glamorous and sophisticated women, never wavering from his signature style even when
grunge, deconstruction, and other passing fads were all the rage. Though his couture division almost
never makes a profit (his ready-to-wear lines are what fuel the business), his heart is most solidly
devoted to the magnificent haute couture gowns that earned him his reputation as fashion’s most
talented dressmaker. This luxurious limited-edition publication renders homage to Valentino’s
illustrious career via a copious selection of images from his archives, including drawings, magazine
shoots, advertisements, portraits of Valentino, and documentary photographs; presented
chronologically, the visual material is accompanied by a vast array of newspaper and magazine
articles about Valentino throughout the years. Text also includes Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer’s
interviews with twenty of Valentino’s closest collaborators and friends as well as an appreciation of
Valentino by International Herald Tribune's fashion writer Suzy Menkes. All of these elements add
up to an in-depth look at the man, his lifestyle, and his genius—a book more comprehensive and
stunning than one could hardly dare to dream of. After all, what could be a more fitting tribute to the
work of Valentino than a book as beautiful and luxurious as one of his gowns? The Collector's
Edition is limited to 2,000 individually numbered copies, each signed by Valentino. Each book is
finished in an elegant book cloth with six-color silk-screen printing and comes in a clamshell box
finished in silk cloth, especially tinted in Valentino red.

Many famous friends of Valentino and celebrated fashion experts contributed to this book with very
personal texts: Graydon Carter from Vanity Fair; Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes, French Socialite;
Farah Diba, widow of the late Shah of Iran; Rupert Everett, English actor; John Fairchild from
Women's Wear Daily; Patrick McCarthy from Women's Wear Daily and W; Ingrid Sischy from
Interview; Franca Sozzani from Vogue Italia; Anna Wintour from Vogue USA.

About the authors:
Queen of the fashion world, Suzy Menkes is the head fashion editor of the International Herald
Tribune. She is among the most influential fashion critics in the world and was recently named an
officer of the Order of the British Empire as well as a chevalier of the Legion of Honor by French
President Jacques Chirac. Menkes is originally from London but lives in Paris.

Matt Tyrnauer is Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine, where he has written and edited
numerous features over the years. Among them are stories on Martha Stewart, Siegfried & Roy,
Frank Gehry, Merv Griffin, and Valentino. He is a native of Los Angeles and lives in New York
City.

About the editor:
Armando Chitolina began his career as a graphic design consultant, image consultant, and art
director for various magazines, including Vogue Italia and L'Uomo Vogue. He also designed fashion
magazines for the Mondadori group. For several years he forged the image of some fashion houses,
including Moschino and Mila Schön. Chitolina`s many books for TASCHEN include William
Claxton`s Jazz Seen, Gian Paolo Barbieri`s Equator, The book of Tiki, Fantasy Worlds, and Naked
as a Jaybird.