Yesterday afternoon I hit the premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor, at the Toronto International Film Festival. Jealous? Okay fine, it wasn't like I was front row watching Alexander Wang's collection being unveiled in New York, but still, it was pretty amazing for a Sunday afternoon far away from Fashion Week, especially because the man himself made it out...





Straight off the plane/tanning bed, Valentino and his partner Giancarlo Giammeti showed up for this, the second premiere, after the Venice Film fest 10 days ago. Regrettably, I didn't see any pugs in tow.

It was a dreary summer day in Toronto, so the crowd looked tragically schlubby on the whole, but there were a few standouts:





Not quite rosso Valentino, but her red rain jacket still seemed to serve as a shout-out to the big man (figuratively speaking, of course). I've always thought it hard to sell a sporty rain jacket as fashionable, but slip on a pair of sexy stockings, and you can glam up just about anything...





...another homage to Valentino. Well played, Lucifer.








There were a few more daring dames who decided to take a gamble on the rain and dressed up before heading down. Ivana Lite was a fun find.





But most people tended to play it casual, to greater or lesser success. I thought this guy, and his fancy mom (?) pulled off the Sunday-stroll look better than most.

As for the movie...

Well it earned a standing O from the audience. And I don't think the crowd was just being slutty about it - giving it up simply because V was there.



(Trust me, that's what you're looking at...)


It was clear I wasn't the only fashion head psyched about the film. Just before the movie began, one girl in front of me announced to her friends she had to run to the concession stand because, 'eating popcorn and watching Valentino is like the juxtaposition of my life!'

There were tons of gems - but here are the highlights that made it onto my pad of paper (note to boss: I could use a new one), in the pitch black of the theatre.

Quote of the film: Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld are walking through the Valentino retrospective in Rome during his 45th Anniversary collection, and Karl turns to Valentino and says, "compared to us, the rest are just making rags." You hear that, McQueen? Them be fightin' words.





Akin to watching a master at work in Sketches of Frank Gehry, you do get flashes of Valentino rolling up his sleeves, as he drapes red tulle over a nude model, or re-tailors a fabulous wedding gown on the fly (well into his 70s, the dude still has mad skillz). But the film is more focused on the relationship (both professional and romantic) between Valentino and his long-time partner, Giancarlo.





There are moments when they seem awkwardly formal with each other for a couple that has been together since the 60s, but while their private life only seems to materialize behind closed doors, their business partnership is front and centre. It's melancholic, at times. Matteo Marzotto confesses at one point to seeing Giancarlo's continued participation with the house "like an old lion still trying to roar." Burn! But even as the fashion world becomes a more complex marketplace, leaving the old guard behind, you get the sense that V and G still triumph, together. One of those "they've lived a great life and they'll always have each other" deals. Ahhh...

So that's the message. Acquire an amazing talent. Meet an attractive soul-mate. Jet-set around the world. Brand a colour. And you'll be set. Sounds easy enough. Looks like I just need to hit my workshop to finish patenting up Luke Blue...

Posted by LUKE