Valentino Bids Fashion Farewell

With one last parade of models in languid, lipstick-red gowns, the Italian couturier Valentino Garavani unveiled his final collection last night. “It’s a happy collection,” Valentino told the crowd. “It’s not a collection with tears in between.” But the departure of Valentino, who dressed Hollywood stars, socialites, and royalty for half a century, signals an end to the golden age of fashion, the Independent reports. And Valentino hasn't been shy about saying it.

Valentino’s label was purchased recently, and the couturier was swiftly replaced, a sign of how commercial fashion has become. “I certainly won’t miss the fashion world. It’s ruined!” Valentino said. “Everybody's doing the same things. What's missing is challenge, creativity, cheerfulness. These days it's all about numbers!” Valentino said it would have bored him to continue; instead, he intends to employ his talents making opera or ballet costumes. (More fashion stories.)