Valentino, The Legendary Italian Fashion Designer, Dies at 93

In short: Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani has died at the age of 93, his foundation has announced. The fashion icon's creations were adored by Hollywood stars, royals and first ladies for his fail-safe red carpet designs. His body will repose at the foundation's Rome headquarters on Wednesday and Thursday before a funeral service is held on Friday. Valentino Garavani, the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns, often in his trademark shade of "Valentino red", were fashion show staples for nearly half a century, has died aged 93 in Rome, his foundation has announced. "Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones," the foundation said on Instagram. "Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision,″ the foundation said in a statement posted on social media. His body will repose at the foundation's headquarters in Rome on Wednesday and Thursday. The funeral will be held Friday at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome's Piazza della Repubblica. Universally known by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan, who swore the designer always made them look and feel their best. "I know what women want," he once remarked. "They want to be beautiful." Never one for edginess or statement dressing, Valentino made precious few fashion faux-pas throughout his nearly half-century-long career, which stretched from his early days in Rome in the 1960s through to his retirement in 2008. His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers' awards ceremony needs. His sumptuous gowns have graced countless Academy Awards, notably in 2001, when Roberts wore a vintage black and white column to accept her best actress statue. Cate Blanchett also wore Valentino — a one-shouldered number in butter-yellow silk — when she won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2004. Valentino was ranked alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld as the last of the great designers from an era before fashion became a global, highly commercial industry run as much by accountants and marketing executives as the couturiers. AP/Reuters