>> Valentino: The Last Emperor To Hit DVD Sept. 8 —Matt Tyrnauer's documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, comes out on DVD just before New York Fashion Week kicks off on Sept. 8 and promises a slew of bonus features, including clips of preparations for a party at Valentino's French estate; a ski vacation in Gstaad; a peek into Valentino's Fifth Avenue home in New York as he gets ready for the Costume Institute Gala; and a look at Valentino's couture seamstresses in action. [FWD]

>> 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."

>> INSIDER WIRE —Since it's Friday, a little humor — JDivision put together a list of 10 Backgrounds that make Donatella Versace look less tan, with accompanying visual aids.  Think pictures of Valentino Garavani, Oompa Loompas, and tan leather. [JDivision]

>> 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

>> Anne Hathaway has been tied to Valentino Garavani recently — she sat next to him at the New York premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor, where he spilled red wine all over her white dress, and last week she presented him with a Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award. 

While Valentino is not using a celebrity for its upcoming Fall 2009 campaign, it sounds like Anne might have a chance with another designer.  Apparently, she's recently become close to Marc Jacobs — likely through Rachel Zoe, who dresses Anne and is close to Marc — and he promised to dress her for high-profile events. According to one of her friends, "Marc and Anne have forged a fast but very intense friendship and they’re going to start doing public appearances together soon. Anne hasn’t signed up to do any advertising yet but . . . if it works well, Anne would be happy to model for some of Marc’s campaigns."

Maybe one of those upcoming public appearances they're doing together is the Costume Institute Gala in a month?  Because although Marc is known for choosing quirky and unexpected faces for his campaigns, Anne doesn't really seem the right face for his neon, '80s-centric Fall 2009 collection.
*image: source

>> 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" »