Vintage Valentino Floral Garden Silk Skirt Suit
View Similar Items
Vintage Valentino Floral Garden Silk Skirt Suit
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Seller Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU245586112
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.
- Gianni Versace Snakeskin leather biker jacket and mini skirt set, fw 1994By Gianni VersaceLocated in London, GBGianni Versace; cream snakeskin leather biker jacket and mini skirt. Cropped biker jacket with silk Medusa lining and metal buckle and zip fastenings. High waisted A-Line mini skirt ...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Jil Sander Beige Silk Cashmere Classic Suit SkirtBy Jil SanderLocated in Brindisi, BtJil Sander vintage woman suit, jacket and skirt beige, 70% wool 25% silk 5% cashmere. Concealed buttons. 90s. Made in Italy. Very good vintage cond...Category
1990s Italian Skirt Suits
- Escada Beige Cotton Vintage Classic Skirt Suit 1990sBy Escada Margaretha LeyLocated in Brindisi, BtEscada by Margaretha Ley complete safari model for women. Beige color, 75% cotton 25% wool, wide model jacket with mother-of-pearl buttons closure, two side pockets, sheath model ski...Category
1990s German Skirt Suits
- CHANEL ivory viscose 2018 18C GREECE BEADED & PLEATED Jumpsuit 38 SBy ChanelLocated in Zürich, CH100% authentic Chanel beaded cap sleeve jumpsuit in ivory viscose (83%) and silk (17%) with wide pleated legs and nine embellished gold-tone metal buttons at front. Lined in silk (10...Category
2010s Jumpsuits
- 1980s Adolfo Pink Wool Knit Skirt Suit with Black TrimLocated in Toronto, OntarioStunning Adolfo skirt suit from the 1980s. Pale pink knit wool with black wool scallop trim at neckline, pockets, cuffs and hem. Jacket is collarless with four faux pockets and larg...Category
1980s American Skirt Suits
- Bill Blass 1980’s Vintage Green Tweed Skirt Suit - Size 8By Bill BlassLocated in West Palm Beach, FLThis vintage 1980’s Bill Blass skirt suit features a textured pattern of green, aqua, white, and brown. The jacket has 3 silver woven-looking buttons with a gold rim. This skirt suit...Category
1980s American Skirt Suits