Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino, 1991
Photo by Steven Meisel. Read more...
Showing posts with label Valentino. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentino. Show all posts
Photo by Steven Meisel. Read more...
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino, 1960
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino, 1966
Model Verushka wears Valentino's rainbow striped maxi coat, 1966.
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino, 1967
Valentino white and orange striped cotton coat with white cotton pants from the Spring-Summer, 1967 Couture collection. Hat by Mirella Petteni.
Photo by Gian Paolo Barbieri.
Weekend Eye Candy - Audrey Hepburn in Valentino, 1969
Audrey Hepburn wears a black silk tiered cape from Valentino's Spring-Summer 1969 collection. Here, the top tier is folded up as a hood. The cape was made from three layers of black silk organza.
Jacqueline Kennedy Marries Aristotle Onassis in Valentino - 1968
For his Spring-Summer 1968 couture line (the famous White Collection), Valentino designed this two piece outfit, here modeled by Marisa Berenson. The pale beige lace bodice floated over a pleated skirt.
This was the dress that Jacqueline Kennedy chose to wear for her wedding to Aristotle Onassis in October of 1968. The style was an immediate worldwide hit, and was copied by many dress manufacturers.
Jackie is said to have married Onassis for protection, as she feared the Kennedy family was being targeted after the assassination of her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy earlier that year. Onassis was a wealthy and powerful man, exactly what she needed. Her marriage would also accomplish her goal of taking her and her children out of the US.
The marriage brought Jackie adverse publicity in America, and it also caused her to break with the Catholic Church, as Onassis was a divorced man. It soon seemed that this was a marriage of convenience, as the couple rarely spent time together. Jackie spent most of her days traveling and shopping. It was rumored that she spent about $1,000,000 per year on clothes.
Jackie continued to be a style icon and fashion trendsetter despite the adverse publicity her marriage to Onassis caused. Much to her dismay, the paparazzi followed her everywhere. Here, Jackie wears an Emilio Pucci cotton mini dress to celebrate her 40th birthday in 1969.
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino 1972
Valentino Couture Spring-Summer 1972. A silk water lily attached to the shoulder strap mimics the print of water lilies on yellow silk chiffon.
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino 1959
A strapless red dress with tulle roses on the skirt from Valentino's Couture line for Spring/Summer 1959. Photographed in 2000 by Peter Lindbergh.
Weekend Eye Candy - Valentino 1969
As summer wanes, my thoughts turn to staying warm this winter. From 1969, a Valentino Haute Couture cashmere coat trimmed in sable fur.
Valentino at Dessès - 1954
The evening gown I showed you yesterday was designed at the Jean Dessès atelier in Paris in 1954, but was never actually made by Dessès.
At age 18, Valentino Garavani was hired as an apprentice by Jean Dessès. There, he dressed windows, greeted clients, and did many sketches of ideas for garments. Most of those early sketches were lost.
Original sketch by Valentino
at Atelier Dessès, 1954
In 1989, as part of the execution of a special international exhibit, "Valentino, Thirty Years of Magic", Maison Valentino made 10 garments from early sketches that the designer had done while working for Dessès. The garments were produced especially for the exhibit and were never offered for sale by either Dessès or Valentino.
So, is the gown a Dessès or a Valentino? Good question. Read more...
Valentino Beaded Suit 1964
Valentino Garavani was born in Italy in 1932. He grew up wanting to study art and design, and moved to Paris at age 17, where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the school of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He then apprenticed at Jean Desses and Guy Laroche. With a solid background in French couture, he returned to Rome in 1959 and opened his own atelier.
Rome in the early 60's was a playground for the jet-set. Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, and Gina Lollobridgida were all there working on films. Elizabeth Taylor visited Valentino's atelier in 1960 while filming Spartacus, and began a friendship and fashion collaboration that has spanned the decades.
In addition to Hollywood actresses, Valentino's first fashion shows were also attended by Parisian society women whom Valentino had met during his years there. His designs were met with favorable fashion press, and a couture dynasty began.
The beaded suit shown above was featured in the October 1964 issue of Vogue magazine. "Valentino's night ideas - dazzling, provocative, with some of the impish dash of his day clothes. Valentino's spectacular black suit, covered entirely in beads. All around the jacket, including cuffs - loopy bead fringe. The blouse, sleeveless black velvet."
Gorgeous, isn't it?
Valentino Suit 1964
More Italian couture, this time from Valentino, as pictured in the October 1964 issue of Vogue magazine. Valentino was a great favorite of Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue, and this issue features several pages of his fashions.
"The guaglione ideas of Valentino, suggesting a tough little Italian boy - sassy and adorable. A suit with a pullover in swaggering checks of grey and khaki wool; high pockets, a loose buttoned belt; short swinging grey skirt with panels front and back. With it, a khaki turtleneck blouse, deep round boy-cap of checks."
I had to look it up in the dictionary. Guaglione: Boy, young boy, frivolous and unreliable person (adj) funny, playful, irresponsible. This suit does show the young look just starting to emerge in fashion, which will become ubiquitous by 1968.
This is not a traditional jacket that buttons up the front, but rather a pullover top with a polo style neckline in heavy tweed. The turtleneck, up to now considered a casual look, is paired here with a suit - another young boyish touch. The belt is worn loose and slouchy. And that newsboy style brimmed hat!
This suit was available in America at Lord & Taylor, probably as copies made from the original purchased by the store.
More about Valentino over the next two days.
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