Valentino - A Grand Italian Epic

Armando Chitolino - editor

Published by Taschen, Koln, 2009

About this Item

Valentino A Grand Italian Epic; Armando Chitolina, editor; Directed and produced by Benedikt Taschen; Taschen, Koln, 2009. Printed in Germany. From the blurb The glamorous life and work of Valentino Garavani. Think Valentino: think luxury. Think elegance. Think red carpet. Fashion s most beloved upholder of refined decadence and the most exciting couturier in business is known around the globe simply by his first name. Only a few years after opening his fashion house in Rome in 1959, Valentino was already at the height in success, counting Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, and Audrey Hepburn among his devotees. Over forty years later, not much has changed he s still dressing the top celebrities, from Gwyneth Paltrow to J. Lo, though now his business is a major economic force in Italy and his fashion house is among the most famous in the world. This publication renders homage to Valentino s illustrious career via a copious selection of images from his archives, including drawings, magazine shoots, advertisements, portraits of Valentino (including one by Andy Warhol), and documentary photographs; presented chronologically, the visual material is accompanied by a vast array of newspaper and magazine articles about Valentino throughout the years. From Suzy Menkes introduction Keeper of the Couture Flame The designer s mantra is I always wanted to make women beautiful - and his inspiration was that of a provincial boy in the drab post-war period going to the movies with his sister and catching the glory days of Hollywood stars in their silver-screen years. Like the rest of the Romans, he was fascinated by the shiny, Dolce Vita glamour and he gave it classical class. This over-sized volume, 576 pages measuring 333mm X 250mm, weighs four kilos. The book is in fine condition in a near-fine dust jacket, the main fault being a slightly scuffed back. The dust jacket is now enclosed in a protective mylar wrap. The quality of this book and, in particular, the photographs is outstanding. I can only post five photos on the internet listing and the choices were extremely difficult to make. This magnificent, high quality Taschen book on Valentino is the book on the master designer. This large and heavy book will require additional postage. Seller Inventory # 2185

Bibliographic Details

Title: Valentino - A Grand Italian Epic

Publisher: Taschen, Koln

Publication Date: 2009

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine