After 45 years at the top, Italian fashion icon Valentino has decided to call it quits after presenting his last collections in Paris, a statement from his fashion house said on Tuesday.
Valentino's last pret-a-porter collection will be staged in October while his final haute couture collection is scheduled for January.
The announcement was expected after last July's three-day extravaganza marking his extraordinary career dressing the world's most beautiful and famous women.
In a letter announcing His retirement, Valentino said the Rome celebration "was a magic moment, one which certainly can never be repeated. It would be impossible to equal the emotions and joy I felt for the friendship and consideration that was shown to me on that occasion".
"Thus I believe the time is right to say good bye to the world of fashion. As the English say: I'd like to leave the party when it's in full swing," he added.
"My future now will be full of new activities and interests. Some of these will be tied to the world of fashion. I intend to create and support institutions which promote the study of design and conserve the art of fashion. I believe this would be the best way to continue the marvellous adventure I have had the privilege to experience," Valentino said.
VALENTINO AND ROME.
Although his fashion house is based in Rome, near the Spanish Steps, Valentino has shown his haute couture collections in Paris for the last 17 years.
However, in July he presented his last winter haute couture collection during the celebrity-studded celebration here.
And it is in the Italian capital, "the city that adopted me", that a museum will be created to host the designer's drawings and creations.
"I love Rome. It's the only city where I truly feel at home. My headquarters have always been here, this is where I began in the Sixties, those extraordinary years of the Dolce Vita," Valentino said this summer.
VALENTINO'S CAREER.
Valentino, whose full name is Valentino Garavani, was born in the industrial town of Voghera north of Milan on May 11, 1932.
At 17 he moved to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and apprenticed with Jean Desses and Guy Laroche before opening an atelier in Rome.
He quickly earned a celebrity following and joined forces with architecture student Giancarlo Giannetti, who became his lifelong companion as well as the financial brain behind his world-wide expansion.
Valentino credits Giannetti for allowing him to "live in the clouds" by keeping him away from the "day-to-day chores of life".
His most famous clients - often opting for trademark red creations - have included Princess Grace of Monaco, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren.
Jacqueline Kennedy wore Valentino when she married Aristotle Onassis in 1968.
In 2000 the American Council of Fashion Designers gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award, which is considered the Council's highest honour.
Last year, he received France's most prestigious award, becoming a member of the Legion d'Honneur.
THE VALENTINO CREED.
Valentino claims that the secret to his success is the fact he has never followed fashion trends.
"I never offended a woman nor made her look ridiculous. I have always gone my own way and the result of this is that everyone else copies me," he said.
"What really disturbs me about some women today is that they have so much to choose from they don't know what to do any more. Brunettes go blonde and their hair colour comes out looking like clay. They walk on these ridiculously high heels and carry those dreadful embroidered bags.
"I can't stand it! Long live the simplicity of a white top and a pair of blue trousers!".
