fashionologie

Valentino Sticks to the Yacht at Cannes

fashionologie — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:17:46 -0700

>> Valentino made headlines earlier this week for his reaction to the fashion on the Costume Institute Gala red carpet - he shook his head, muttered "no, no, no," and wiggled his finger, adding: "I think now all the girls look very ugly. I saw the pictures of the Metropolitan gala evening [in New York] last week and I never saw something more ugly, all the girls have their legs out with the most terrible proportions."

He also told the Guardian that he has "so many ideas I could design a collection in two days but don't miss it at all" - now that he's retired he "tr[ies] to have a good time." Although he hasn't made any red carpet appearances, his yacht has been spotted docked in Cannes - wonder what he has to say about all the Cannes fashion?

Or maybe instead of joining the parties in Cannes, his idea of fun now is staying in his yacht and having a meal cooked by partner Giancarlo Giammetti's chef, Pablo - in her GOOP newsletter this week, Gwyneth Paltrow raves over "GG, as he is affectionately known" and his chef's "rustic Italian food to die for . . . that can get me over there on the darkest and rainiest of London nights."

fashionologie — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:02:48 -0700

>> INSIDER WIRE -When Bruce Weber found out Matt Tyrnauer was directing the Valentino: The Last Emperor documentary, he gave Tyrnauer some advice: “Hire male models to work for you. It doesn’t matter if they know how to do anything; you’ll get double the time with Valentino and Giancarlo [Giammetti]. And let me tell you, no better advice has been dispensed. We did hire male models, and eventually the job they ended up doing was putting the mikes on Valentino and Giancarlo before we’d start filming each day. You know, it has to go under the clothes. Well, they loved that. They’d say, “Is it time to get our mikes on yet?” [The Cut]
*image: source

The Emperor Valentino Reigns at New York Premiere

fashionologie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:00:14 -0700

>> Last night, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti were in New York to fete the opening of Valentino: The Last Emperor - arguably their biggest Manhattan party ever, between the screening and the dinner for 200 of fashion's finest (including Anna Wintour, Anja Rubik, Jason Wu, and Chanel Iman) at the Plaza's Oak Room. The designer's six pugs Molly, Milton, Monty, Margot, Maude, and Maggie, who director Matt Tyrnauer has dubbed "the costars of the film," weren't present - according to Valentino, "they're getting some time away from me in Italy" - but maybe that's a good thing: Karolina Kurkova admitted, “they’re really not nice to everybody” and Gwyneth Paltrow agreed, calling the pugs "kind of mean."

When Giancarlo Giammetti was asked about his comment on film that the designer looked too tan, he was quick to explain, "We'd come from the beach, and we were about to show summer suits, and he just . . . it just seemed like too much. But it was one time, and one time only." And as for those rumors that he was back to helping out at Valentino for Fall 2009, Garavani denied having any hand in it, "No, not at all. Very far from the truth. I don’t think about it. I wish my assistants to do the best. It’s a big job, though, and to know my name goes on the designs, I want them to do the best.”

Meanwhile, the film seems to have already inspired at least one person - Zac Posen. "I wouldn't mind being followed around too for two years. It's all about having the right collaborators."
*image: source, source, filmmagic

Valentino: The Last Emperor Hits US Theaters

fashionologie — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:55:12 -0700

>> 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! »

Critics Concerned Over Chiuri, Piccioli's Valentino-Approved "Imitation" Collection

fashionologie — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:22:22 -0800

>> 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" »

fashionologie — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:44:04 -0800

>> 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

Valentino Garavani Uncensored

fashionologie — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:53:38 -0700

>> 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.

Valentino's True Colors Fly in Venice

fashionologie — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:38:25 -0700

>> Today, Valentino: The Last Emperor, Matt Tyrnauer's fly-on-the-wall documentary that follows the designer from June 2005 to June 2007, debuted at the Venice Film Festival. Valentino favorite Natalia Vodianova was in attendance, and Valentino successor Alessandra Facchinetti even showed up for support.

The designer says that during filming, he didn't try to hide anything from the cameras, even when he got into a disagreement with his longtime business partner Giancarlo Giammetti:

When I work and I create, I am not very approachable. To . . . know everything I say was being recorded did irritate me. There were moments of anger, when somebody says something that I don't like, but I was completely myself from the beginning to the end and nothing was edited.

Director Tyrnauer praised Valentino for his willingness to be "wired" for two years and allowing himself to be depicted on film "warts and all," adding that there were very few times when he asked that the cameras be turned off: "They only screamed at us occasionally and we put most of it in the film."

One such moment? When Valentino, exasperated by the chaos backstage at one of his shows, proclaims, "People must learn that they have to follow me. They must be down on their knees in front of me!"

Valentino had no editorial control over the film, and apparently isn't always portrayed in the best of lights, but Karl Lagerfeld seems to think the world of his fellow designer: “Compared to you, darling,” he says in the film, “the rest of us are making rags.”
*image: source