Born in Voghera, Italy, in May 1932, Valentino's childhood interests in fashion, painting and architecture, coupled with an immense talent for drawing, prompted him to study fashion design and French at the Accademia dell Arte in Milan.
For over forty years Valentino Garavani, known to all simply as Valentino, has been one of the most prominent names in fashion, creating some of the world's most elegant eveningwear and classic designs.
It was Valentino's desire to design clothes that would celebrate the female form and accentuate a woman's sensuality. "I don't think any man in the world wants to go out with a woman dressed like a boy," he once said.Accolades and awards continued to come in for Valentino including, in 1986, the highest decoration possible in Italy, the Calvaliere di Gran Croce, presented by the President Cossiga.
Valentino has become known for his perfectly coiffed hair, permanently tanned skin and a wardrobe of Ralph Lauren, Savile Row and, of course, his own label. In fact, he is the perfect personification of his own label. With homes in Knightsbridge, New York, Capri.
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