Well, I have finally seen the new Valentino doc. If you haven’t, please don’t wait any longer. The opening sequence gave me chills. It’s sooooo glamorous. Glamour schlamour you may say, but no matter how ordinary our lives, how quirky or odd or avant-garde or casual our style, what girl doesn’t appreciate a little glamour?

Boys like a little glamour, too!

While the film doesn’t really highlight the early days of the struggling courtier, it does a phenomenal job of providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the workings of fashion today and the ways in which the business has changed. It’s amazing to see the way that the Valentino house runs (over 100 seamstresses and only 1 UNUSED sewing machine.) It’s fair to say that not too many young designers could operate that way. And not to dismiss Alessandra Facchinetti, but clearly she wasn’t up to the Valentino standard. But then again, who is??

The thing that really got me about the film is Valentino’s unmistakeable love for dressing women. An interviewer asks him, “Do you know what women want?” “Yes,” Valentino replies. “What do women want?” “Women want to be beautiful.” You’re absolutely right, Signore Garavani, we do want to be beautiful. And thank you for doing it so brilliantly for the last 45 years.

the designer with Princess Rosario of Bulgaria

all photos courtesy of Style.com