Valentino, the “emperor” of Italian haute couture, was buried Friday in Rome, in a ceremony where the distinctive red he championed in his collections was reflected in splashes of crimson among black-clad mourners.
Big names in fashion such as Donatella Versace, Tom Ford and Maria Grazia Chiuri met at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, a church designed by Michelangelo and built on the ruins of ancient Roman baths.
Valentino co-founder Giancarlo Giammetti, dressed in a black satin suit, and the designer’s latest partner, Bruce Hoeksema, accompanied the wooden coffin into the church, prompting applause from the crowd.
“Through him I discovered beauty, a beauty that followed us throughout our lives, that has kept us busy. We met when we were children, we dreamed the same dreams, we managed to realize some of them, I would even say many,” Giammetti said in his eulogy.
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In an impromptu speech, Hoeksema said: “Valentino, you were the person I was talking to, not the person I was talking about. You were by my side when words were not necessary. Life wasn’t always perfect, but it was real. One day at a time, for more than 40 years.”
Among those in attendance were Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour, actresses Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Hurley, American socialite Olivia Palermo and Valentino’s current creative director Alessandro Michele and his predecessor Pierpaolo Piccioli.
Also in attendance were Riccardo Bellini, CEO of Valentino, French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, Antoine Arnault, eldest son of Bernard Arnault, president of LVMH, and Rachid Mohamed Rachid, CEO of Mayhoola.
The couturier, who built one of the most famous fashion houses in Italy, died on Monday at his home in Rome at the age of 93.
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Hundreds of people gathered outside and inside the basilica, famous for the red of its marble walls and columns, darker than Valentino red.
White flowers framed the altar and a black and white photo of Valentino stood next to his coffin. There were flashes of red between the benches: hats, scarves, bright carmine coats, and a wool shawl.
More than 10,000 people paid their respects to Valentino on Wednesday and Thursday as he lay in repose in Rome’s Piazza Mignanelli, next to the historic headquarters of his fashion house, near the city’s iconic Spanish Steps.
Following the funeral, a private burial will be held. (Reporting by Matteo Negri and Giulia Segreti; Editing by Andrew Heavens; Edited in Spanish by Daniela Desantis)
With information from Reuters
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