As journalists and editors of Italy’s most important fashion magazines, Flavio and I knew him well. He was the first great protagonist and ambassador of Italian style to the world, from the days when he was the favorite couturier of Jackie Kennedy and so many other ethereal beauties and celebrities. Flavio celebrated him extensively in Vogue during the 1970s. I featured him on the cover many times in the 1980s on my magazine Donna. For the twenty-fifth anniversary of his career, we dedicated a truly special “special” to him. Lucchini drew inspiration from Valentino for many of his fashion-art works in the 1990s. Valentino was also among the first great designers to choose Superstudio Più for one of his unpredictable runway shows in Milan in 2003.
We shared a subtle and profound bond, made of admiration, esteem, respect, and affection, following from afar in recent years the evolution of his “tribe,” always the same since his youth: Giancarlo (Giammetti), Daniela (Giardina), Carlos (Souza) with Charlene, and the young people Valentino considered his grandchildren. Today, the chapter of great Italian creators—those with a unique and inimitable style—closes forever. Valentino has died; Fashion has died. All that remains are the clothes. And nostalgia.