Valentino Garavani

>> Valentino Garavani may have retired from fashion — or maybe not, there are rumors that he had a hand in the Fall 2009 Valentino collection — but either way, he's been a busy man promoting the impending US premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor tomorrow, March 18, in New York.  He does, however, say he's "extremely happy to have quit from fashion. All of the designers are doing the eighties. I hate the eighties. I did it, and I hate it. When I go to see my dresses of the eighties, I vomit.”  Instead, he's appearing on Oprah, The Martha Stewart Show, receiving a Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award, and contemplating designing for opera and ballet.

As for the movie, Matt Tyrnauer, the documentary's director, promises "one explosion after the other. Valentino is very impatient. He’s a Taurus. He loves the drama. There are divo moments and there are tantrums, and a lot of them are directed at the camera. It’s sort of like a cross between a hurricane and a cyclone." Which made it interesting when he first showed Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti the director's cut: "It was not easy.  To tell you the truth, they kind of freaked out. We had some healthy discussions and multiple screenings over the course of several months. And they have come to accept it."

You've probably seen the pug-filled trailer by now, but another clip is below, featuring Karl Lagerfeld telling Valentino after his show, "That's the way it should be done.  Compared to us, the rest are making rags."  After the movie hits New York, it travels to Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles — information here.

The clip! »

>> INSIDER WIRE —No one ever said Valentino was easy to work with, but former Valentino CEO Matteo Marzotto, who hosted a press conference in Milan today for his new Vionnet acquisition, basically confirmed it.  "For the first time in my life I’m working with somebody who’s down to earth [newly-hired Vionnet designer Rodolfo Paglialunga]. As you can imagine — and I loved it very much — but I’ve been working with superstars. They can be difficult." [Heard on the Runway]

>> Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, whose first collection for Valentino debuted yesterday seem to have the approval of the house's namesake.  Valentino Garavani, who sat front row with partner Giancarlo Giammetti, leapt to his feet as soon as the show was over, applauding:

"They did a very good job. It is a collection that is perfect for this very moment.  It was quite emotional to see all my clothes, done by these people who loved me for 12 years, and they are really sensational. They were always staying with me during my fittings of haute couture.”

But other members of the audience weren't so convinced about the collection, which "could have been sourced right out of the house pattern archive," in the words of WWD.

"For the most part they were just . . . imitations" »

>> INSIDER WIRE —Valentino may have relieved himself of the accelerating fashion schedule, but another equally vexing burden might have taken its place.  Although a Valentino spokesperson wouldn't confirm — they don't comment on the designer's personal affairs — it appears that Valentino may be a victim of the Bernie Madoff scandal.  Sources "from the fashion world" say that he was defrauded of "a significant amount of cash." [Evening Standard]  

UPDATE: A spokeswoman for Valentino responded, denying any connections between the designer, his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, and Madoff. [WWD]
*image: source

>> In honor of the US premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor today at the Hamptons International Film Festival, two more clips from the documentary, this time focusing on Valentino and his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti, rather than the designer's pugs.  Valentino pulls Giancarlo aside during the preparation of a show, angry: "Cheri, please, a bomb is going to explode here. Look at my hand shaking! I've been working for 40 hours straight." Giancarlo tries to remind him that the cameras are rolling, but Valentino says he doesn't care and threatens to quit the film altogether.  As Giancarlo sums up their relationship, "To be with Valentino as a friend, as a lover, as an employee, you need a lot of patience."  And patient Giancarlo is.

>> "I don't care about the collection. My dogs are much more important," Valentino Garavani exclaims during one scene of Valentino: The Last Emperor.  The designer is supposed to be the star of the documentary, which is still making the film festival rounds, but from the clips that have appeared so far, his six pugs — Milton, Monty, Maude, Margot, Maggie and Molly — seem to steal the show. One "little idiot," as Valentino calls her, urinates during photo shoot for the movie poster below, and all six get taken wherever their master goes, with dog butler in tow.
*image: source

Pugs gone wild, on film! »