Dynamic Duo Hall of Fame

Valentino & Giancarlo Giammetti in V Magazine's Dynamic Duo Hall of Fame

Click here to view the article online at V Magazine.

Text Christopher Tennant

In 1960, the wunderkind couturier, who had recently set up shop in Rome, met a dashing young architecture student on the Via Veneto. Together, they would build an empire.

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: By the mid-'60s "Valentino" was a byword for jet-set chic-- the go-to designer for Jackie Kennedy, Babe Paley, Marella Agnelli, Jayne Wrightsman, and every dowager worth a damn.

PINNACLE OF POWER: The Last Emporer, Matt Tyrnauer's Academy Award- nominated documentary, which chronicled the lead-up to Valentino's three-day retirement soiree, in 2008.

FASHION LEGACY: The first brand to bankroll fashion ad campaigns (which has previously been funded by fabric makers), Valentino also helped to pioneer ready-to-wear and tested the outer limits of licensing.

FUN FACT: From 1982 to 1985, the Ford Continental came in a "Valentino Edition."