Valentino Important Evening Dress in Black Velvet and Silk
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Dimensions:Marked Size: 36 (EU)
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. The dress is in original and very good vintage condition, showing no wear or tears. Size 36 EU.
- Seller Location:Milano, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2057215942152
Valentino
The mononymously known Italian designer Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (b. 1932) is renowned for his fashion house of romantic styles and feminine shapes that he founded in Rome in 1960. Valentino dresses, skirts and other apparel captured the hearts of many of Italy’s wealthiest ladies in the couturier’s early days and led to commissions from Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Jayne Wrightsman and others on the international best-dressed list (when it still meant something). They sought out Valentino for gorgeous gowns, jackets, elegant daytime wear and even when they needed wedding dresses.
An early fascination with fashion developed when Valentino attended the theater as a child and was dazzled by the evening gowns on stage. While a teenager in Voghera, Lombardy, he studied under Italian designer Ernestina Salvadeo and soon moved to Paris, where he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Valentino spent time apprenticing under haute couturiers Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, learning how to design and construct high fashion while also thinking about how to strike out on his own.
In 1959, Valentino returned to Italy, and a year later, he opened his own salon, soon joining with longtime professional and personal partner Giancarlo Giammetti. It was located on Rome’s trendy Via Condotti and modeled after the French maisons. One of his earliest clients was Elizabeth Taylor, who discovered Valentino while she was in Rome filming Cleopatra and ordered the white dress that she wore to the premiere of Spartacus.
When the designer launched his first couture line in 1962 with its fiery red colors, it was internationally celebrated, with Valentino soon attiring fashion trendsetters including Princess Margaret and Audrey Hepburn. He formed an especially close friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for whom he designed numerous dresses. Luxurious drapery with fine needlework, bold uses of color and dramatic flourishes would define Valentino fashion across the decades.
As a fashion house, Valentino is best known for its signature Valentino Red color, though one of its iconic lines is the monochromatic “no colour” collection for which the designer won the Neiman Marcus Award in 1967. (The collection also debuted his trademark “V.”) The white dresses and beige dresses led to a demand for Valentino wedding gowns, with clients including Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez and Anne Hathaway.
Valentino retired from his fashion empire in 2007, with Alessandra Facchinetti and then the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri (who departed in 2016) and Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeding him as creative directors. But Valentino still steps out of retirement for special occasions, such as designing a wedding gown for Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013.
Today, the brand offers a range of collections that include the Valentino Garavani line and REDValentino, a diffusion line that is aimed at a younger audience. The house has expanded far beyond women’s haute couture and prêt-à-porter to encompass various lines of accessories, including shoes, sunglasses, scarves and perfume.
Find vintage Valentino evening dresses, handbags and other items on 1stDibs now.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: rozzano, Italy
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
- Pierre Cardin Vintage Little Black Dress with Puffy StrapsBy Pierre Cardin Paris, Pierre CardinLocated in Milano, ITChic vintage dress designed by the great Pierre Cardin in the 1980s, fine French craftsmanship. ORIGINAL LABEL. The dress is really beautiful, but...Category
1990s French Cocktail Dresses
- Gianni Versace Black Medusa Evening DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Milano, ITWonderful black short evening dress, by the famous designer Gianni Versace 1990's, in very soft Viscosa 100%. The dress has an open back and an American-style neckline made with a go...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses
- Gianni Versace "Medusa" Black Sheath DressBy Gianni VersaceLocated in Milano, ITGianni Versace "Medusa" Black Sheath Dress 2000s. Wonderful and original Gianni Versace black sheath dress from the 2000's, made of viscose, nylon a...Category
Early 2000s Italian Sheath Dresses
- Giorgio Armani Fashion Long Coat in Black SilkBy Giorgio ArmaniLocated in Milano, ITVery elegant black silk coat designed by the great stylist Giorgio Armani in the 1990s, of fine Italian manufacture. ORIGINAL LABEL. The coat has a straight, geometric cut. It has a ...Category
1990s Italian Coats
- Faust Glittery Black Elegant DressLocated in Milano, ITBrilliant black elegant dress designed by Faust in France in the 1990s. Made in France. ORIGINAL LABEL. The dress is actually very simple in its struct...Category
1990s French Evening Dresses
- Mila Schön Vintage Black Silk Evening DressBy Mila SchonLocated in Milano, ITRare vintage silk evening dress designed by Mila Schön in the 1990s, made in Italy. ORIGINAL LABEL. The dress is entirely made of black silk and is intended as an elegant, event dress. The dress has long sleeves in black shiny silk satin, soft, which are connected to the central body of the dress by a very beautiful and sensual sweetheart neckline, which leaves space for jewellery. The central body of the dress is also in heavier black silk, which gives a velvety effect. It continues softly down to the waist, where there is a silk satin belt...Category
1980s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
- Mariano Fortuny Black Silk Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with matte frosted colored glass beads threaded through the cordin...Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Peplos
- Mariano Fortuny Black Peplos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams,shoulders and tunic hem with multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Mariano Fortuny Black Delphos GownBy FortunyLocated in Riverdale, NYThis dress is made of finely pleated black colored silk with silk cording along side seams, and multicolored glass beads threaded through the cording.
Named after a ...CategoryEarly 20th Century Italian Art Deco Delphos Gowns
- Gianni Versace 1997 Couture fall black leather gownBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZHGianni Versace was an influential Italian fashion designer who founded the Versace brand. In the fall of 1997, he presented his couture collection in Paris, which was widely acclaimed for its opulent fabrics, bold prints, and intricate detailing. The collection featured several notable pieces, such as a black evening gown with a plunging neckline and a gold-encrusted jacket. However, just a few days later, on July 15th, 1997, Gianni was tragically murdered outside his Miami Beach home. Despite his untimely death, his contributions to the world of fashion continue to be celebrated, and his legacy remains an inspiration too many. This collection is iconic as it’s the final collection before his passing. The collection very much showed a new direction for the house. Which was heading away from the bombshell curves and souped-up sex appeal that the house previously focussed on. But took more Inspirations to the new wave John Galliano and Mcqueen were leading. MET Gala: Salma Hayek y sus mejores momentos en la alfombra roja Vogue For the 1997 Met Gala Salma Hayek wore a very similar Gianni Versace look...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
- 1980s Dimitri Kritsas long black dressLocated in Milano, IT1980s Dimitri Kritsas long black dress with wide shawl neckline and low cut back. Rounded high slit in front with fitted long sleeves. Evening dress Size: M Waist: 88 cm Length: 14...Category
1980s American Evening Dresses
- Yves Saint Laurent by Tom Ford FW-02 Silk Flared Hem Dress - Velvet RibbonBy Tom Ford for Yves Saint Laurent, Yves Saint Laurent Rive GaucheLocated in Brussels, BEFlirtation and eroticism were on American designer Tom Ford’s mind for his Fall/Winter 2002 Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche collection. Using stereotypical women’s fabrics for appropr...Category
Early 2000s French Sheath Dresses