Rome Bids Farewell to Fashion Icon Valentino Garavani

Rome was paying its final respects to legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani on Wednesday as a two-day public viewing began for the Italian style icon whose high-glamour gowns and signature shade of red defined elegance for generations.

The 93-year-old designer, who died Monday at his Rome residence, is lying in state at his foundation in Piazza Mignanelli, just steps from the Spanish Steps in the heart of the Italian capital. His funeral will be held Friday at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in central Rome.

Known universally by just his first name, Valentino built a devoted following among royalty, first ladies, and Hollywood stars who treasured his ability to make them look and feel their best. From Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan, his clientele represented the pinnacle of global celebrity and influence.

Hundreds of mourners—including fashion luminaries, Italian officials, and ordinary Romans—lined up to pay their respects to the man often called “the last emperor” of Italian fashion. Inside the foundation headquarters, visitors paused briefly before Valentino’s coffin, which was adorned with a single red rose and surrounded by white flowers. Only his closest relatives and friends, including his beloved fawn-colored pugs, sat alongside the casket.

“I worked for him for 14 years… Those were the most beautiful years of my life, the ones with him,” said hairdresser Alba Armillei, one of many former employees who came to pay respects. “Everything he touched became beautiful.”

Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri honored Valentino as “one of Italy’s most luminous and beloved figures,” highlighting the designer’s enduring connection to the capital. While Valentino typically unveiled his collections in Paris, he maintained his atelier in Rome throughout his career.

Alessandro Michele, the current creative director of the Valentino fashion house, described his predecessor as irreplaceable but emphasized the solid foundation he established for future generations. “He’s been a great example of life,” Michele told reporters before entering the foundation. “He came from afar and built something immense.”

Windows of the central Valentino store on Via Condotti were covered in black, bearing his famous quote: “I love beauty. It is not my fault.”

Valentino’s nearly half-century career began when he founded his eponymous fashion house on Rome’s Via Condotti in 1959. Eschewing edginess for timeless elegance, he built a reputation for glamorous yet refined designs that adorned the world’s most photographed women.

His signature became the fail-safe choice for red carpet events, particularly the Academy Awards. Julia Roberts famously wore a vintage black-and-white Valentino gown to accept her best actress Oscar in 2001, while Cate Blanchett donned a one-shouldered butter-yellow silk creation when she won for best supporting actress in 2004.

Dancer Eleonora Abbagnato recalled “the first dress created by Valentino for the Vienna Opera when I danced for New Year’s Eve with ostrich feathers, true elegance, the red, the emotions and effect that he created.”

The designer’s impact extended beyond individual garments to establish “Valentino Red” as an instantly recognizable color in global fashion—a vibrant, slightly orange-tinged red that became as synonymous with luxury as the designer’s name itself.

Alba Verga, who arrived at the viewing wearing a red Valentino coat, expressed what the designer meant to his admirers: “He made us dream. His dresses for me were sculptures, works of art, but above all dreams and through his dresses, I always dreamed.”

Valentino’s death marks the end of an era in Italian fashion, closing a chapter on one of the industry’s most influential creators whose vision of beauty and elegance transcended trends and transformed the global understanding of Italian style.