Giorgio Armani Not Ready To Retire

With Valentino retired and Yves Saint Laurent passing away, there are unfortunately only a handful of the grand designers left today. Giorgio Armani who is a favorite of mine, recently spoke to Italian magazine Il Sole 24 Ore about the idea of retirement.

“It is painful but you need to have the courage that, once it is done, not to have any claims over it,” Armani says. “In the case of reaching a certain age or the market needing a radical change in style, it is extremely difficult for someone who created a company to detach themselves from it.”

Giorgio adds, “The founder is linked to the brand and represents its style. When it comes to replacing the founder there is always a doubt as to whether to change the style. The young designers have all the talent that is needed but in a system made up of only ‘untouchable icons’ that cut off all oxygen, you can also die.”

But don’t worry! The talented designer is not on his way to retirement! “I have never posed myself the problem, looking at the pros and cons… I have not picked my ‘heir’. Touch wood, we’re not talking about it but an organisation that is so precise could easily survive me. I can easily manage this as I have always firmly kept the style, management and ownership in my hands.”

Armani’s Spring/Summer 2009 collections were spectacular and we sure hope that our favorite designer will continue to beautify the fashion runways and inspire our lives with his delicate pieces.

Karl Lagerfeld Film? “I Think It’s Ridiculous,” he says.

With many biopic films coming out about our favorite fashion designers, like Coco Chanel, Vivienne Westwood and the documentary about Valentino, one might wonder if a Lagerfeld film is next. The designer confides that, “Some directors, whose names I will not mention, have even been approached about making a movie about my life. I think it’s ridiculous. Who would be able to play me, both young and the way I am today?” For the time being, Karl is not considering making a movie about himself. In fact he thinks that he is getting sick of himself because of overexposure. “I’m suffering from an overdose of myself,” says the designer. “At a certain point, you ask yourself, am I a puppet or not?”

Valentino Appoints New Designers; Facchinetti is Out!

Rumors have been flying for some time now, but it is now confirmed. After the Valentino Spring 2009 collection in Paris, the company’s CEO Stefano Sassi confirmed that this was the last collection of designer Alessandra Facchinetti for Valentino. The new creative directors for the Italian fashion house are Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, who have been designing accessories for Valentino for many years. Apparently Facchinetti wasn’t told of her dismissal and in fact she says the media heard of it first.

“It was with deep regret that I learnt from the press that I would no longer be working with Valentino… This news came as a great surprise since the company’s top management has not yet seen fit to inform me. I would like to thank Valentino s.p.a. for showing their appreciation of my ‘creative contribution and my sophisticated talent’ although I deeply regret the fact that this talent and contribution do not seem to have been adequately acknowledged,” Facchinetti writes in a public e-mail.

Ouch! But what went wrong? It seems that neither Valentino nor his his partner and president Giancarlo Giammetti liked her.

According to Valentino, “[Chiuri and Piccioli] always demonstrated an enormous respect and love for my work. There is an existing archive with thousands of dresses where they can draw and take inspiration from to create a Valentino product that is relevant today. It is a shame that their predecessor didn’t feel this need.”

Giammetti continues as he says, “To pretend to transform and revolutionise the Valentino style is a utopia which is a loss from the start … Pier Paolo and Maria Grazia are company oriented people and it is right to give them a chance to bring forward a style, which alongside Valentino, they have developed.”

“Valentino: The Last Emperor” Movie Clips

I cannot wait to see this film. Here are two clips from the movie taken from youtube.com. In the first clip, we can see Valentino’s cute dogs. It seems that the film will be with a great sense of humor too! And the second clip shows us a glimpse of the relationship between Valentino and Giancarlo.

Valentino: The Last Emperor is a documentary about the life, career and dramatic closing of last fashion show of one of Italy’s greatest designers, Valentino Garavani. The film is produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer who is a New York writer and filmmaker. The documentary is both intimate and engaging and has received great reviews from its premiers. At the heart of the film is a touching life long love story between Valentino and his partner in both business and life of 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. Although, it was not Tyrnauer’s intention to center the documentary around their relationship, things just happened that way. ” [Valentino] is a born dreamer and the last true couturier, who let us in on his creative process and also let us in on the life he built around him to sustain this process,” says Tyrnauer. Truly, Valentino’s designs are not just known for their glamour and elegance but for their attention to detail and delicacy; qualities that only a great designer with devoted love towards his work could possess.

* Valentino: The Last Emperor Clip 1

* Valentino: The Last Emperor Clip 2