Few names in fashion embody timeless elegance and cinematic grandeur quite like Valentino. From red carpet legends to the quiet perfection of an atelier in Rome, the house has defined Italian sophistication for over six decades. Now, Taschen—a publishing house known for its visual storytelling—unveils Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic, a striking new volume that captures the essence of the brand through decades of archival imagery, personal reflections, and the unmistakable legacy of founder Valentino Garavani. This is more than just a coffee-table book—it’s a journey through a life devoted to beauty, refinement, and fashion’s most elegant moments.
A portrait of a visionary
At the heart of Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic is the designer himself: Valentino Garavani. The book traces his life and creative career, beginning in Rome in the late 1950s when he opened his first atelier on Via Condotti. Though he would go on to dress Hollywood royalty and actual royalty alike, the early years were marked by ambition, meticulous training, and a vision rooted in classic glamour.
Through a combination of oral history and rare imagery, the book paints an intimate portrait of Valentino—not only as a master couturier but as a figure who understood the transformative power of fashion. Quotes from colleagues, collaborators, and friends lend emotional depth, while behind-the-scenes photos show Valentino sketching, fitting models, and walking through his legendary studios. It’s a side of the designer not often seen by the public: less about celebrity, more about craftsmanship.
Valentino’s commitment to elegance, his iconic red gowns, and his unshakable belief that women should feel powerful and beautiful in his designs are themes that echo throughout the pages. The book positions him as both artist and architect—building beauty, one seam at a time.
Icons in Valentino
The allure of Valentino has always been about more than fabric or silhouette—it’s about the women who wore it. A Grand Italian Epic revisits the dazzling roster of style icons who defined eras in Valentino’s creations. From the sophisticated restraint of Jacqueline Kennedy to the sparkling charisma of Elizabeth Taylor, these women became living embodiments of the brand’s aesthetic.
Audrey Hepburn, another longtime muse, is featured prominently in the book. Images show her in demure gowns and sharp tailoring, a reminder of Valentino’s ability to dress women with both grace and authority. In one particularly memorable image, Hepburn wears a column gown in the designer’s signature “Valentino red,” a hue that would become emblematic of his legacy.
The book also offers glimpses of more recent icons, showing how the house’s vision has evolved while remaining faithful to its roots. Even in the age of fast fashion, Valentino’s designs maintain an emotional pull—a sense of occasion that feels rare and resonant.
From atelier to archive
What sets this volume apart from previous fashion retrospectives is its deep archival dive. Taschen is known for its richly illustrated books, and this one is no exception. A Grand Italian Epic features more than 600 images, including previously unpublished campaign shots, moodboards, press clippings, and hand-drawn sketches by the designer himself.
The atelier comes to life through these pages. There are candid shots of seamstresses at work, bolts of silk spilling across long tables, and dress forms bearing half-constructed masterpieces. These images are a tribute to the artisans whose invisible labor makes haute couture possible. They also serve as a reminder that every red carpet moment began with countless hours of needle and thread.
For fashion historians and aficionados, the book functions almost as a visual museum. Every turn of the page reveals another layer of design innovation, from architectural silhouettes of the ’60s to the romantic flourishes of the early 2000s. Through it all, the Valentino sensibility remains unmistakable: regal, refined, and utterly feminine.
A new chapter under Alessandro Michele
While the focus of the book remains firmly on Valentino Garavani’s reign, its release coincides with an exciting new era for the house. In 2024, Alessandro Michele—best known for his maximalist transformation of Gucci—was named creative director of Valentino. Though Michele’s aesthetic may seem at odds with Valentino’s pared-back refinement, early signs suggest a thoughtful fusion of past and future.
His debut is still on the horizon, but interest is high—and A Grand Italian Epic feels perfectly timed as both a closing chapter and a cultural reset. It invites readers to reflect on what made Valentino so singular, while also preparing them for whatever might come next. If Michele’s past work is any indication, he will treat the house’s history not as a constraint but as a canvas. In this way, the book becomes more than a retrospective—it’s a legacy blueprint, showing just how enduring, and how adaptable, the Valentino name truly is.
More than a book, a love letter
Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic is not just a chronicle of a designer’s career—it’s a love letter to a lifelong pursuit of beauty. Across its pages, readers witness the evolution of taste, the intersection of fashion and culture, and the extraordinary discipline that haute couture demands. The story it tells is deeply personal, but also universal: one of vision, risk, and the pursuit of artistic perfection. Whether you’re a devoted fashion historian, a lover of Italian culture, or someone who has simply marveled at a red dress gliding down the Met Gala carpet, this book offers something rare: a glimpse into the soul of a fashion house that changed how the world dresses—and dreams.
