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Like playing the drums or making small talk, personal style is one of those things that looks far easier than it is—especially when it’s done by a true master of the form. While Valentino Garavani, the renowned couturier who passed away this week at the age of 93, was best known for his sumptuous evening gowns, his greatest creation may well have been his own unmistakable style.
An aesthete of the highest calibre, Garavani (who, in the grand tradition of Miuccia, Ralph, and Yohji—will ever be known by his first name alone) applied the same meticulousness and creative vision to his appearance as to his genre-defining runway collections. From his caramel tan and perfectly coiffed pompadour to his high-collared shirts, custom-made by Charvet, his look was as consistent as it was precise. This apparent effortlessness, however, belied the complex machinery that underpinned it, including painstakingly cataloged closets at each of his homes and a personal lookbook of outfits, all of which was managed by a small army of support staff.
There will, of course, never be another Valentino, but for anyone looking to hone their own personal style, his style legacy provides a few useful lessons.
Unsurprisingly, Valentino was as obsessive about his own tailoring as anything he sent down the runway, reportedly having his suits made by legendary Roman tailoring house Caraceni, and this DB ensemble (with the jacket unbuttoned, the ultimate statement of confidence) is no exception. Note the perfectly balanced tension between the brightness of the gold buttons and the relative sobriety of the shirt and tie.
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