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Fashion Group International 2005

This October marks the tenth anniversary of Mr. Valentino’s receipt of Fashion Group International’s Superstar Award. The 22nd annual “Night of Stars” gala thrown by the organization played host to several luminaries: Sandra Bullock, Naomi Campbell and Anna Wintour were some of the boldfaced names on the red carpet at Cipriani’s on 42nd Street that night. (So too current presidential candidate Donald Trump, flanked by his children Donald Jr. and Ivanka.) But no one outshone Mr. Valentino—not even Meryl Streep, the dear friend who presented him with his award. A short while after the ceremony, Mr. Valentino would repay Streep’s favor by jetting to the set of The Devil Wears Prada to film a cameo. That night, though, he played the leading role—not least in host Simon Doonan’s opening speech to the crowd, which was peppered with reminiscences of time spent with Mr. Valentino in days past. “Rome! So romantic, skipping down the Via Veneto, Val and I in our matching open-toed mandals…” Doonan recalled. The crowd was in stitches. Mr. Valentino took Doonan’s joking in stride, and likewise accepted the evening’s dead-serious homage with his customary grace. “I have been in this industry for many decades,” he told British Vogue. “It’s always fantastic when people still appreciate your work. It gives me the kick to go on and do my best.”

 

 

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