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Review: Valentino: The Last Emperor

The king of fashion
By SHAULA CLARK  |  April 22, 2009
2.5 2.5 Stars


VIDEO: The trailer for Valentino: The Last Emperor 

In 2008, Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani — the man who kept Jackie Kennedy rolling in couture — stepped down from a spectacular 45-year career that had culminated in a wildly opulent retrospective exhibit in Rome.

Vanity Fair correspondent Matt Tyrnauer's documentary gives unprecedented access to the fashion mogul in his last two working years, capturing many delightful behind-the-scenes moments: Valentino ferrying his flotilla of wheezing pugs through an airplane; Valentino looking for reassurance from business partner (and former lover) Giancarlo Giammetti after a nerve-racking press conference; Valentino throwing a somehow-dignified diva fit before a show.

Although style hounds will revel in this intimate portrait (not to mention the money shots of kohl-eyed models flouncing across the runway), the less fashion-familiar may well spend the runtime itching for a little more context.

Related: Review: Afro Samurai, Review: Good Hair, Photos: Boston Fashion Week 2008, More more >
  Topics: Reviews , Entertainment, Culture and Lifestyle, Movies,  More more >
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