Daily Front Row

2007 June 13

Valentino's Anniversary Plans Revealed!

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(NEW YORK) Valentino hosted a press conference this morning at the Sala Marc’Aurelio to formally announce plans surrounding his three-day couture extravaganza from July 6-8 celebrating his 45th anniversary. “I am truly grateful to Rome, to Mayor Walter Veltroni, and to the Minister for Arts and Culture Francesco Rutelli for hosting and welcoming us here for the celebration of our 45 years of activity,” the designer said. “And I thank them for placing some of the city’s, and the world’s, greatest treasures and most beautiful places at our disposal. Celebrating such an important achievement in the only city in which I genuinely feel at home makes me very happy. Here in Rome I opened my first atelier, here in Rome were my first successes, and here I work, and have always worked, with my collaborators. For many years I have had the honor of being ‘Rome’s Ambassador’ in the world, a title of which I am particularly proud and that I am really pleased to be able to hold once again on such a special occasion for me.”

Throughout the three days, and under the high patronage of the Presidency of the Italian Republic, the splendor of Rome will diffuse itself through the charm of the “Made in Italy” label and of Italian haute couture, of which Valentino is among the most important representatives in the world. The events will take place against the backdrop of some of the most important historical buildings and cultural institutions of the Italian capital, thanks to the generosity of the Ministry for Arts and Culture and Minister Francesco Rutelli, and of the city of Rome and its Mayor.

On July 6, a spectacular retrospective dedicated to Valentino’s work will debut under the patronage of the Head of the Italian State and in the presence of the Mayor of Rome, of the Minister for Arts and Culture, and high-ranking state and city officials. That evening, a dinner for foreign guests, with a setting designed by Dante Ferretti, will take place at the Temple of Venus.

The following day, for the first time in 17 years, Valentino will present in Rome the fall/winter Haute Couture collection with a show for 1,000 guests. The show will take place in the Santo Spirito complex in Sassia, followed by a dinner and gala ball at Deerk Park of Villa Borghese. On July 8, the company will launch its new Valentino perfume, Rock ’n’ Rose Couture, at the Ara Pacis Museum.

Finally, an exceptional monographic book dedicated to the life and art of Valentino will be presented to the public. Friends of Valentino, together with celebrities, opinion formers, and leading figures from the international press will take part in the cultural and social events. This will bring a fervor of economic activity to the city involving accommodation facilities—more than 400 hotel rooms have already been booked—and services. Between receptions and events, this occasion will provide employment to more than 1,000 people: 250 waiters, 250 drivers, 200 security staff, 130 people involved in the staging of the events, 100 organizers, 60 hostesses, 20 cooks, and 20 sommeliers.

As for the exhibition, Valentino a Roma: 45 Years of Style is the retrospective that, via around 300 garments and rare archive material, will celebrate Valentino’s 45 years of creativity, with a spectacular staging in the Ara Pacis Museum, which was recently renovated and extended by architect Richard Meier. The exhibition, which will run from July 6 to October 28 and is being curated by Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda, is developed around the Ara Pacis and in all the rooms of the museum. The display will create a chronological retrospective, which is visible to passers-by outside the museum, strengthening the link that connects Valentino to Rome and Rome to Valentino. The complementary exhibition catalogue, published by Taschen, will include a detailed philological analysis of the garments and materials on display, alongside critical texts written for the occasion by the curators, by the Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, and by some of the most eminent figures of the worlds of journalism and fashion criticism.

The show will take place at 5:00 p.m. on July 7. For the occasion, the catwalk show will have an extraordinary setting: the Incisa and Baglivi halls of the monumental complex of Santo Spirito in Saxia. Over 1,000 people will attend the event, including government and city officials, friends, celebrities, clients and leading figures from the international press. Among those confirmed by Valentino include Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claudia Schiffer, Donald and Melania Trump, Elle Macpherson, Meryl Streep, Princess Caroline of Monaco with Princes Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi and Princess Charlotte, and Rupert Everett.

A Great Italian Story is the title of the monographic book to be published by Taschen. Measuring in at 13 x 17, the oversized, boxed hardcover richly pays homage to Valentino’s career. To be published in English, French, Italian, and German, it contains a selection of images from his archives: drawings, advertisements, photographic reportages from magazines, portraits, and photographs of Valentino’s life and work, presented in chronological order and accompanied by a selection of articles taken from periodicals from all over the world. Contributors to the volume, edited by Armando Chitolina, include Graydon Carter, Jacqueline de Ribes, Farah Diba, John Fairchild, and Franca Sozzani. Matt Tyrnauer, a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, curated the main text of the volume—an in-depth portrait of the designer, composed also through the testimony of friends and collaborators. Suzy Menkes, meanwhile, has written the introduction.