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In his own words, Valentino Garavani once remarked, “Elegance is not to be noticed, it is to be remembered.” The Italian designer Valentino believed in the power of beauty and la dolce vita as if it were a religion, and he was its greatest prophet. For decades, he designed homages to the allure of red and the carefully placed ruffle. Even through the eras of power dressing and grunge, he never lost his faith. Instead, he spread the word from Rome to Paris and beyond, and generations of women bought in, literally, to the belief that by enhancing the outside, you also enhanced the inside.

The designer, known simply as Valentino, was renowned for his opulent yet elegant interpretations of fashion, which attracted a roster of famous fans including Jacqueline Kennedy , Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana, and Julia Roberts. His influence was such that Jennifer Lopez, Nicky Hilton, and even Jacqueline Kennedy wore Valentino to their weddings.

With his signature perpetual perma-tan and entourage of pugs, Valentino transformed into a cultural icon as famous as the stars he dressed. Alongside his lifelong partner and business strategist, Giancarlo Giammetti, he mirrored the opulent lifestyle of his elite clientele – moving between grand estates, a private yacht, and a mountain chalet. Driven by the belief that true elegance is a timeless duty, he built a fashion empire rooted in the conviction that classic beauty never expires.

“I know what women want,” he once remarked. “They want to be beautiful.” Though he was Italian-born and lived in Rome, he mostly unveiled his collections in Paris and spoke French with Giammetti.

‘A true master of his craft’

Alessandro Michele, the current creative director of the Valentino fashion house, wrote on Instagram that he continues to feel Valentino’s “gaze” as he works on the next collection, which will be presented on March 12 in Rome. Michele remembered Valentino as “a man who expanded the limits of the possible” and possessing “a rare delicacy, with a silent rigor and a limitless love for beauty.’’

Another of Valentino’s successors, Pierpaolo Piccoli, placed a broken heart emoji under the announcement of his death. Former supermodel Cindy Crawford wrote that she was “heartbroken,” and called Valentino “a true master of his craft.’’

Condolences also came in from the family of the late designer Giorgio Armani, who died in September at the age of 91, and Donatella Versace, who posted two photos of Valentino, saying, “he will forever be remembered for his art.’’

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni remembered Valentino as “an indisputable maestro of eternal style and elegance of Italian high fashion.”

$1.5B Net worth of fashion’s ‘Last Emperor’

Valentino Garavani leaves behind not just an unmatched creative legacy, but an extraordinary financial one. At the time of his death, the designer’s net worth was estimated at $1.5 billion.

Along with longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti, Valentino owned an enviable portfolio of homes across Rome, London and Paris. The duo also held properties in Manhattan and Switzerland. Among the most storied was a château near Paris, set within gardens reportedly home to more than a million roses.

His life was defined by rare and carefully chosen luxuries. Valentino owned a 152-foot superyacht valued at around $15 million. For air travel, he relied on a Bombardier Global 6000 private jet.

Art was another lifelong passion. Valentino’s residences displayed works by Picasso, Rothko, Bacon, Warhol, Basquiat and Hockney, among others. Even the smallest details reflected his exacting standards. His Roman-made bedsheets were reportedly ironed twice a day.

A defining financial moment came in 1998, when Valentino sold his fashion house to Italian conglomerate HDP for approximately $300 million. The deal secured his place among the world’s wealthiest designers and underscored the commercial power of the Valentino name.

‘Thank you for the most beautiful red dresses’

For Valentino, red was never just a colour. It was an emotion, a belief, a signature. And the hue that would forever carry his name.

The story of Valentino Red began early. As a young designer watching the opera Carmen in Barcelona, Valentino came to understand “that there was no better color after black and white.” What struck him was not just the drama of the stage, but an elderly woman dressed in red at the opera house. She was dignified, elegant and unforgettable. Her presence lingered long after the curtain fell.

Years later, in 1959, that instinct took tangible form. The designer introduced a red strapless cocktail dress in his Spring–Summer 1959 collection. The fashion world took note. The colour would soon be known simply as Valentino red. It became both the signature of the Italian fashion house and an emblem of its creator’s vision.

To Valentino, red was paradoxical. It was commanding yet neutral, dramatic yet timeless. “[Red] is a strong color but at the same time it’s a non-color. It’s neutral: like black, brown, blue, white. It’s not pale or a pastel shade. It conveys lots of energy, lots of oomph. Red is life, passion, love. It’s the cure for sadness,” he said in the book Valentino Rosso. In Rosso (Red), he reaffirmed that belief with quiet certainty as he said, “I think a woman dressed in red is always wonderful, she is the perfect image of a heroine.”

True to that philosophy, Valentino ensured that every collection carried at least one red dress. It became a constant thread through decades of changing silhouettes, trends and eras. The gown was never an afterthought. It was a punctuation mark. A final word.

“In Italy, there is the Pope and there is Valentino,” Walter Veltroni, then the mayor of Rome, once said in a 2005 New Yorker profile. And just as Rome has its monuments, Valentino has his. Not carved in stone, but draped in silk, chiffon and tulle, glowing eternally in red. In remembering Valentino Garavani, the fashion world will always see him the way he saw women: strong, radiant and unforgettable. Dressed in red.