Valentino Black Wool and Velvet Ensemble, 1980s
View Similar Items
Valentino Black Wool and Velvet Ensemble, 1980s
About the Item
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.
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 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 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.
- Sonia Rykiel 1970s Navy Knit EnsembleBy Sonia RykielLocated in Alford, MA1970s dress and coat ensemble in navy wool knit by Sonia Rykiel. The slim coat features a top-stitched yolk detail, a round neckline, and single-breasted clo...Category
1970s French Dress and Coat Ensembles
$425 Sale Price32% Off - Adolfo Sequin and Lame SuitBy AdolfoLocated in Alford, MAThree-piece evening suit by Adolfo, the slim skirt and collarless jacket in diamond-patterned black and iridescent sequins. The sleeveless shell is made of a krinkle metallic gold fa...Category
Late 20th Century American Skirt Suits
- Pauline Trigère Ensemble with Fox TrimBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in Alford, MAStunning Pauline Trigère 1970s ensemble in black wool crepe, the simple dress underneath an unusual reverse cape/shawl terminating in deep black fox trim at t...Category
1970s American Dress and Coat Ensembles
$780 Sale Price20% Off - Thierry Mugler Brown SuitBy Thierry MuglerLocated in Alford, MAThierry Mugler 1980s suit in brown wool gabardine features a belted jacket with silver metal stars dangling from the patch pockets and interesting inverted V detail near armhole. Dro...Category
1980s French Skirt Suits
- Geoffrey Beene Forest Green SuitBy Geoffrey BeeneLocated in Alford, MAGeoffrey Beene forest green suit, c.1980s, with the seemingly simple, but exquisitely detailed, shaping for which the designer was known. The suit is compos...Category
1980s American Skirt Suits
$425 Sale Price32% Off - Navy Suede Suit with Braid Trim a la ChanelLocated in Alford, MA1960s navy suede suit in the style of a classic Chanel, it features a red and gold zigzag braid around the edges of the jacket and the top of the bodice poc...Category
Mid-20th Century American Skirt Suits
$380 Sale Price20% Off
- Vintage Batik Print Skirt and BodiceLocated in London, GBA charming two piece that could be worn equally well seperately. In a batik like print of grey , white and blue, the skirt has gathering at the waist and a scalloped hem. The bodice...Category
1950s Unknown Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- 1950s Green and Black Wool SuitLocated in San Francisco, CA1950s wool suit featuring shades of olive, sage, and forest green with an asymmetrical button closure accented with additional matching hand-covered buttons. The shawl collar is modi...Category
1950s Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- Marella blouse and pants suitLocated in Capri, ITMarella blouse and pants suit Blue sequins blouse with black belt and dark blue pants suit made in italt in size 42Category
1990s Italian Trouser Pant Suits
$418 Sale Price20% Off - Sonia Rykiel Three Piece Tuxedo Style Black Pant Suit, 1980'sBy Sonia RykielLocated in Atlanta, GAA versatile 1980's Sonia Rykiel three piece suit in a black rayon/acetate blend crepe fabric, including jacket, top and pants. The chic details, including a satin finish to the coll...Category
1980s French Trouser Pant Suits
- Vintage Silk Coat and DressLocated in London, GBA chic vintage outfit in a petrol blue silk. The dress is sleaveless with a round neckline and central back zip. The cot has elbow length sleaves ...Category
1960s British Dress and Coat Ensembles
$433 Sale Price20% Off - Vintage Skirt and Jacket by Saint Joseph France.Located in London, GBA chic vintage skirt and jacket by Saint Joseph, France. The outfit has a black background with a yellow and blue print. The skirt is pleated ...Category
1970s French Skirt Suits