bluestocking
discover amidst the volume’s photo-laden 700 plus
pages (the Art Edition is encased in a leatherbound
clamshell). Images from decades of fashion photogs
abound, but the true visual splendor of the collection
is actually found in the final pages. Breathtaking full-
page, high-gloss color photographs present gowns
created throughout the span of his career. Arranged
by color and captured with close-up shots, they reveal
intricate construction usually reserved for a fortunate
few. Perhaps that’s why these pages are also the most
personal, as they display the grace and emotion in
every detail.
“I always wanted to make women beautiful,” says
Valentino, and for close to five decades he’s designed
for the captivating—his loyal clientele has included
Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn,
Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez. Still, this
edition doesn’t become enmeshed in cheap celebrity
showcasing. Instead, it offers thoughtful musing from
past and present models, photographers, designers
and fashion experts and, of course, Hollywood
personalities. Stories from Anna Wintour, Diane von
Furstenberg and even Rupert Everett, offer candid
and intimate glimpses into the fashion icon’s life:
captivating views for the reader matched by the pages
that reveal Valentino’s fascinating palatial Roman and
Parisian estates. It is evident his eye for design is not
limited to fashion.
“There are two kinds of fashion designers: the one
who designs a garment as though it were an ‘objet
d’art’ and the kind like Valentino, whose designs are
made with the woman in mind and aim to make her
even more beautiful,” recounts Italian tastemaker
Marella Agnelli. Created for fashionable lovers of all
things beautiful, these editions are designed objects
of adoration, worthy of the man they capture. Each
edition bears the signature of Valentino and the
coveted Art Edition (a limited edition print of 100
copies) also includes four signed prints of original
drawings of Valentino’s early works. Having been
kept to a modest 2,000 copies, the Collector’s Edition
