Italian fashion legend Valentino Garavani, whose elegant evening gowns were favored for decades by some of the world’s most glamorous women, has died at 93, according to his foundation.
Born in the northern town of Voghera, Italy, in 1932, Valentino — who was popularly known by his first name — learned his trade in the haute couture ateliers in Paris before founding his own line in Rome in 1959. Early on, he became known for his red dresses, in a rich scarlet shade that became his signature color to the extent that it was known within the industry as “Valentino red.”
In 1960, he met his long-time business partner (and, for 12 years, romantic partner) Giancarlo Giammetti, then a young architecture…