Claire Danes
There's more than one reason to be feteing Claire Danes this month. The multiple award-winning actress celebrates her birthday on April 12th—three days after the finale of the suspenseful—and timely!--sixth season of Homeland, in which Danes plays the lead role of Carrie Mathison. That's a part Danes de-glams for—much as she did at the start of her career, when this sophisticated, Manhattan born and raised, classically ballet-trained thesp took on the iconic role of sensitive, ur-suburban American teen Angela Chase in the TV series My So-Called Life. But Mr. Valentino and Mr. Giammetti are well acquainted with Danes' soigné side: A longtime friend, Danes has been dressing in Valentino for years.
One of Danes' most stunning appearances in Valentino dates back to 2005, when the actress turned up at the Golden Globes in a bias-cut couture gown of crystal-trimmed lavender silk. Two years later, she provided another great photo op, turning up with then-beau, now husband Hugh Dancy in matching white Valentino togs for the opening of 'Valentino a Roma: 45 Years of Style' at the Ara Pacis in Rome. (And they matched again, in black and white, at the gala celebration of Valentino's 45th anniversary the same night.)
But Danes is much more than a client to Mr. Valentino and Mr. Giammetti. Danes has been present for many of the landmark Valentino events since Mr. Valentino retired from the maison: She attended the premiere of the documentary The Last Emperor at the Venice Film Festival, the gala Valentino dinner party at Versailles in 2010, and the launch party for the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum a year after that. And she's stayed in touch since then, sitting with Mr. Valentino and Mr. Giammetti at both Valentino fashion shows and the 2015 Costume Institute gala at the Met. No doubt Danes will be seeing—and wearing—Valentino again, perhaps even at the premiere in her forthcoming film Brigsby Bear, a crowd-please at Sundance due out later this year.
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Valentino a Roma: 45 Years of Style / Homeland premiere wearing Valentino Resort 2014
