There is no point reviewing fashion documentaries. They are made for fashion lovers and they will love them no matter what. Sure we only saw a glimpse of Valentino the man (including the diva tantrums) and that is okay, we were they for Valentino the couturier extraordinaire. And we got it. Valentino: the Last Emperor is a non-stop fashion binge that will leave you with begging for more. Since, I’ve been seeing the world through a hazy red filter. And no red will ever look as good as rosso Valentino (100% magenta, 100% yellow and 10% black). The best line in the film goes to Karl Lagerfeld who compliments Valentino by saying:“That’s the way it should be done. Compared to us, the rest are making rags.”

A couple of days later my fiancé surprised me with this gorgeous Valentino book. It is a retrospective of his life work made for his 45th anniversary. The book includes original drawings, ads, celebrity portraits, and the original old newspaper clippings and testimonials from Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Tom Ford, Anna Wintour, Nan Kempner and others.

Valentino’s muse Audrey Hepburn


Valentino also made me think about another great – YSL. Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times and Yves Saint Laurent: 5 Avenue Marceau concentrates more on YSL the man and it’s heartbreaking. Sweet sweet man without any diva tantrums, very shy and humble. Valentino and YSL offered very different views on fashion but they both understood that it was, indeed, fine art and not blatant consumerism. With YSL gone and Valentino retired, it marks an end of an era in fashion that will never be replicated. For my birthday I received Yves Saint Laurent Style book. The book was the companion to an exhibition that was at The Montreal Museum of Fine Art and the de Young Museum in San Francisco. It is more art oriented and features a great collection of YSL original illustrations and notes on fashion.

Yves Saint Laurent with his muse Catherine Deneuve

I will be busting out my vintage Valentino wicker purse today. Thanks grandma.