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 By Simon Betteridge
Valentino may no longer be at the helm of his eponymous fashion empire but the major retrospective exhibition of the House of Valentino on show at Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) is proof of this legendary designer's global influence in the rarefied world of haute couture. Viewing the exhibition is an astonishing reminder of how the power of a beautiful idea combined with hours of extreme skill, artisinal perfection and carefully edited material leaves you in awe of what human hands can achieve in a world that otherwise thrives on mass production. 'Valentino, Retrospective: Past/Present/Future' is a collection of 100 creations from the late 1950's to the present that includes some of the most important haute couture creations originally shown in the exhibition 'Valentino: Themes and Variations' at Les Art Decoratifs, Paris, in 2008. Pamela Golbin is the curator of this exhibition and is Curator-in-Chief , 20th Century and Contemporary Fashion and Textile at Les Art Decoratifs. She spoke at both the media briefing and the opening of the show making the point that the sudden hush of the media throng when allowed entry into the show was a wonderful mark of respect for the man who is Valentino and the ensemble collection.
Made famous by many high |
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profile and glamorous women the world over, Valentino recognizes that he really became a global name when Jacqueline Kennedy ordered six black and white couture dresses to wear during her self-imposed year of mourning after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. She then went on to marry Aristotle Onassis in 1968 wearing a Valentino ivory crepe tunic and short pleated skirt which is part of the exhibition. Wealthy socialites became loyal acolytes and willing ambassadors for the Valentino brand of style. Probably the most enduring of these was the American socialite Nan Kempner who reveled in the drama and glamour of expensive dress ups and the shifting thematic freedom it allowed her on a daily basis. For those with a celebrity bent there is real-time wonderment in this show as it includes garments worn by Cate...
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