Valentino and Vanity Fair

I considered boycotting the August 2010 issue of Vanity Fair since Angelina Jolie was on the cover. (I am on Team Aniston mainly because of her hair.) I'm glad that though I didn't because it was chock full of great design stories including Bunny Mellon's Secret Garden, Architecture in the Age of Gehry, and my favorite, Valentino's New York Revival. If you watched Valentino: The Last Emperor, you saw a glimpse of his Fifth Avenue pied-à-terre but it was a bit dated to say the least. He called his designer on speed dial, Jacques Grange, to "make something more light, and more for my art collection." Now the Basquiat, de Kooning, Prince, Warhol, and Lichtenstein pop off of the white lacquered walls. Looks like retirement is suiting Valentino and his apartment very well!

Photos by Jonathan Becker

X Spots The Mark

The chances of any of us being invited to stay at Valentino's fabulous flat or chic chateau are slim to none, but that doesn't mean we can't experience a Jacques Grange designed interior. The French designer completely overhauled The Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side and now that the new The Mark Restaurant by Jean-Georges has just opened in it, you can eat as well as sleep as chic as Mr. Valentino! Pugs sold separately!

Valentino at Home: London

You really didn't think I would post about Valentino without also posting photos from one of his fabulous homes did you? I've been saving images of his Jacques Grange designed London home for a while and was delighted to find even more on Studio Annetta. The home was originally published in the UK edition of House & Garden magazine in January 2006 which makes me wonder how it's changed over the years. A few other photos were seen in my favorite book Jacques Grange Interiors. While the apartment is the epitome of elegance with it's 1930's furniture and Francis Bacon art, it also looks surprisingly comfortable. I hope those pugs appreciate living in the lap of luxury!

Happy Birthday Mr. Valentino

Yesterday was Mr. Valentino's birthday and of all the wonderful cities in the world he could have chose to spend it, he picked New York. I bet that was an amazing event! In honor of his special day, I'm posting some of my favorite images of the designer and his fashions. At 78, he looks just as chic and elegant as he did when he was just starting out. Makes me also wish I had a red dress I could wear today! Happy birthday Mr. Valentino!

Valentino: A Perfect Life

My favorite part of the Valentino: The Last Emperor DVD is the aptly titled special feature A Perfect Life: Around the World with Valentino. In it, we get a sneak peek at what it takes to run Mr. Valentino's life and homes including his gorgeous chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.

The ultimate treat was getting to watch the uber talented photographer Francois Halard photograph Mr. Valentino and his ski chalet for British Vogue. Mr. Halard is one of my favorite photographers and it was a pleasure to watch him work and see the results which I've posted here.

I was lucky enough to speak the man behind the Valentino documentary, Matt Trynauer, about the film and it's instant sensation. Matt wrote a really fabulous article about Valentino for Vanity Fair for which he met them in Rome where he was able to look into their world and their life. It is the relationship between Valentino and his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti that captivated him and made him think that it should be on film. So he asked them and they said yes but it definitely wasn't that easy!

Matt and his crew would follow Valentino and his entourage for about two weeks per month for two years and always when they knew something important would be happening. I mentioned to Matt that you could easily hate Mr. Valentino for all his wealth and privilege but yet you don't and I think it's because you see how hard he works and that he gets upset just like everyone else. He said the final cut took a year to negotiate because Valentino wanted those outbursts cut out of the film but they definitely serve to show that his life isn't always perfect or without problems.

I had watched the Karl Lagerfeld documentary Lagerfeld Confidential shortly before seeing the Valentino documentary in the theatres and was struck by one major difference between the two legendary fashion designers. While Mr. Lagerfeld states that he needs his alone time to recharge his batteries, Mr. Valentino is never alone but constantly surrounded by an entourage of people! Giancarlo Giammetti says that they never spent more than two months apart total in the entire 50 years of their relationship.

It's no secret that Valentino lives like no other fashion designer but I guess when you've worked as hard as he has for so long, you're entitled to live so beautifully. Matt said that during times of economic despair such as the depression, the movies became more "diamond encrusted." The world needed a fantasy and Mr. Valentino definitely gave us a look into his diamond encrusted fantasy world!

I was surprised that quite a few of friends haven't seen the Valentino documentary yet and if you are among those who haven't, I highly recommend that you rent it today! And don't forget to watch the special features! He really does have the perfect life and perfect homes! Oh, and perfect pugs too!

Photos by Francois Halard