In an industry of extremes, even surprises are cliché. There’s young talent and then there are legends. There are grey scale color palettes and then there’s neon (that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon), body con and relaxed silhouettes, sportswear and couture. The list goes on and on.
So! What do we do with a designer who has championed essentially all of the above in his career and vision? Um… bow down and respect, duh. One of the few last standing ‘emperors’ if you will, Valentino continues to push boundaries despite the relatively recent turmoil in his namesake line and yet he still is educating the young’ns in even with the likes of technology. With his insanely cool online museum (which you really should check out like now, if you haven’t already) and influence that reaches far beyond the fashion industry, this tanned Italian is no stranger to hard work, dedication and clearly buckets of talent.
As we celebrate his big 80th birthday, we salute the designer who clearly has impressed celebrities and editors through his long career and has understandably accumulated nothing less than an A-List repertoire of friends. Click through the slideshow to check out Valentino with some of his most posh pals.
A very happy birthday to the one and only Valentino!
