Valentino: The Last Emperor

was enthralled with this documentary about the legendary fashion designer Valentino. What a character! For 45 years he dominated the fashion scene with his haute couture. His gowns were ravishing. The ultra thin models carried off his creations with flair and pizzazz. Valentinio was especially known for his red gowns. They were spectacular like a work of art.

We really get to know Valentino and his side kick, assistant, lover and partner, Giancarlo. Giancarlo certainly had to put up with a lot of mood and attitude from his boss. Valentino was haughty, egocentric and so talented.

Valentino states,” I know what women want. They want to be beautiful.” We certainly become familiar with his five little dogs who go everywhere with him.

We see him designing one of his famous gowns. A nude model stands in front of him and he drapes the fabric around her to form the shape. The top seamstress takes notes. All the gowns are completely stitched by hand.

Valentino tells us that as a child he was enthralled by movie stars. It was fun to spot many movie stars of today attending his shows. Jennifer Anniston and Gwyneth Paltrow are known to be his client

Much of the film deals with the plans and the execution of his 45^th retrospective. A large museum in Paris was the location. Hundreds of the famous dresses are hung on the walls. It is spiritual and so dramatic. A final show at the Beaux Arts in Paris shows his modern designs. The place is made to look like a dessert with paper mache sand dunes. The ground is covered with semolina to look like sand. The dramatic models appear behind the sand dunes and it is all so exciting.

At the end of the film statements on the screen give further data about Valentino. This film took me to a world I could never know. I loved being there.