Valentino: Themes and Variations

Valentino: Themes and Variations; Pamela Golbin; with a foreword by Valentino; Rizzoli, New York, 2008. First edition. From the blurb – The name Valentino has been synonymous with high fashion for almost fifty years. Based in Rome, Valentino is the first couture house to be recognized by the French government outside of Paris. His exquisite designs are coveted and worn by young Hollywood and high society the world over. On the occasion of his last collection, presented in Paris in the spring of 2008, this landmark book celebrates Valentino’s remarkable career. Published in association with a prestigious exhibition at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris, this volume focuses on Valentino’s haute couture creations, highlighting the most important and iconic designs of a half-century in fashion through the recurring motifs in Valentino’s work – variations on the ideas of line, surface, and volume as well as geometry, pleats, and flowers. In addition, unprecedented photography of Valentino’s last collection and fitting and the backstage of his runway show reveals Valentino’s private world for the first time. An in-depth critical survey of Valentino’s contribution to French haute couture as well as his role as the king of Italian fashion by the exhibition’s curator, Pamela Golbin, will ensure that this book is the definitive study on Valentino. This large book, 300 pages, is in fine condition in a fine dust jacket that is now in a protective mylar wrap. This large volume may require additional postage.…