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Celebrities and fashion greats gathered in Rome on Friday morning to say their final goodbyes to designer Valentino Garavani, better known as Valentino.
The many fashion celebrities who admired and worked with Valentino came together at the central Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. His funeral comes after a two-day public viewing at the Valentino Foundation’s headquarters.
Some of the biggest names in fashion, including Tom Ford, Donatella Versace, and former Vogue Editor-in-Chief and magazine mogul Anna Wintour, attended the funeral. Hollywood stars, like Anne Hathaway, were also in attendance.
“Now he rests forever surrounded by eternal beauty, a most fitting next chapter for the one true Emperor who gifted us all a legacy of unparalled magnificence… I love you my darling, and I miss you already,” Hathaway, who wore Valentino on her wedding day, said in an Instagram tribute.
While most in attendance wore black for Valentino’s final tribute, others opted for red, honoring the designer’s signature color, which became synonymous with the iconic fashion house. Fans of Valentino also gathered outside the church to pay their respects for the last time.
The iconic designer and couturier died at 93 of natural causes at his residence in Rome. The man widely known as the “Last Emperor of Fashion” was a favorite of celebrities and international and American royalty. Jackie Kennedy Onassis wore an ensemble by Valentino, one of her favorite designers at the time, for her second wedding to Aristotle Onassis.
Valentino’s eponymous label has appeared countless times at Academy Awards and Met Galas, donned by Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett as they accepted Oscars, and by Pedro Pascal, who wowed the Met Gala in Valentino red-and-black shorts.
Isabel Yip is a news associate for NBC News.