The Tamesis
Valentino Garavani and Alessandro Michele attend the 2018 Fashion Awards in LondonPhoto: Getty Images
I always imagined Valentino as an eternal presence; I imagined him in his place, in his home, even though I never really had a relationship with him or worked with him. I was the first outsider to step into his mansion and the threshold of his home.
We only met and talked a few times. We met many years ago at some fashion award shows. As I stood chatting with Lana Del Rey and others, he introduced himself in the nicest way possible. Giancarlo was there too. I was deeply moved by meeting him. To me, he is almost a mythical figure. I was impressed by his gentleness. His smile was almost shy, like that of a child. It was probably around 2018. We only chatted a few words, shook hands, and there was only one photo of the two of us together. I shared it on Instagram even though I don’t like posting pictures with anyone. I’m not one for commemorating condolences on Instagram; this was my first time doing so. I did it because I believed it was a credit to him, and because I believed that, even if we didn’t really know each other, he would be happy to know that I paid tribute to him. He was a great man, a man of extraordinary achievements. He became part of Italian mythology, not just Italian mythology.
I believe he told the story of how Italians are great snake charmers and how we can weave real magic. He himself created a magnificent spell that reveals the brilliance of our Italian appreciation of beauty – the refined taste, the beauty of his home, and the grand and rare things that surround him. Through his works, Italy became a source of wonder and admiration in the world’s understanding of beauty.
