Italian haute couture ’emperor’ painted fashion red

By Giulia Segreti

It was a mix of carmine and scarlet, with a hint of orange – a new hue, inspired by an elderly woman at Barcelona’s opera house, whose elegance struck a young Valentino Garavani.

The colour, introduced to the fashion world several years later, in 1959, with a strapless cocktail dress of draped tulle, has carried his name – Valentino red – ever since, doubling as the eponymous Italian fashion group’s signature.

“I think a woman dressed in red is always wonderful...