Valentino Butterfly
Early 2000s Waist Belts
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
21st Century and Contemporary Coats
2010s Jackets
1990s Italian Scarves
21st Century and Contemporary Italian T-Shirts
2010s Italian Jeans
2010s Italian Jeans
2010s Italian Shirts
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Hot Pants
21st Century and Contemporary Jackets
1990s Italian Modern Clip-on Earrings
Mixed Metal
2010s Italian Blouses and Tops
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses and Tops
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses and Tops
2010s Hats
21st Century and Contemporary Italian A-Line Skirts
2010s Italian Shoes
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Dresses
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Jumpsuits
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
C Print
1990s Clip-on Earrings
Gilt Metal
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
C Print
1980s Italian Bucket Bags and Drawstring Bags
1990s Pop Art Animal Drawings and Watercolors
Ink, Watercolor, Permanent Marker
People Also Browsed
1980s Italian Jackets
1980s Unknown Fur Puffer Coats
1950s Italian Aesthetic Evening Dresses
1960s Evening Dresses and Gowns
Mid-20th Century British Fur Puffer Coats
1950s Italian Wedding Dresses
Mid-20th Century Maghreb Caftans
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
1960s Hong Kong Mini Dress
1970s French Cocktail Dresses
2010s Wedding Dresses
1960s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
1990s French Evening Dresses and Gowns
20th Century Indian Evening Gowns
1970s French Evening Gowns
1970s Mexican Maxi Dress
Recent Sales
Antique 19th Century French Armchairs
Silk
Antique 19th Century French Bergere Chairs
Silk
Antique 19th Century French Louis XV Bergere Chairs
Silk, Wood
Early 2000s Cuff Bracelets
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paint...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pen
1970s Italian Day Dresses
Late 20th Century Italian Camisoles and Shell Tops
Early 2000s Jackets
1990s Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Acrylic
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
Mixed Media
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Tech Accessories and Cases
2010s Italian Bikinis
21st Century and Contemporary French Scarves
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Shoulder Bags
21st Century and Contemporary Evening Dresses and Gowns
2010s Italian Other
2010s Italian Backpacks
2010s Italian Sandals
2010s Italian Wallets
2010s Italian Shoulder Bags
2010s Italian Shoulder Bags
2010s Italian Jackets
2010s Italian Skirts
2010s Italian Evening Dresses
2010s Italian Jumpsuits
Early 2000s Italian Blouses
2010s Italian Shoes
2010s Italian Blouses and Tops
2010s Italian Top Handle Bags
2010s Italian Jumpsuits
2010s Italian Shoes
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Pullovers
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Casual Dresses
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Blouses and Tops
2010s Italian Hot Pants
2010s Italian Casual Dresses
2010s Italian Belts
2010s Italian Hobo Bags
2010s Italian Hobo Bags
2010s Italian Belts
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modernist Chandelier Earrings
2010s Italian Waist Belts
2010s Italian Belts
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Casual Dresses
1980s Italian Cocktail Dresses
21st Century and Contemporary T-Shirts
2010s Italian Shoes
2010s Italian Jackets
2010s Italian Jeans
2010s Italian Shoes
2010s Italian Mini Dresses
2010s Italian Belts
2010s Italian Belts
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Capes
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Evening Bags and Minaudières
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Dungarees
Early 2000s Italian Opera Coats
2010s Italian Shoes
2010s Italian Jackets
21st Century and Contemporary Shoes
Valentino Butterfly For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Valentino Butterfly?
Valentino for sale on 1stDibs
The mononymously known Italian designer Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani (b. 1932) is renowned for his fashion house of romantic styles and feminine shapes that he founded in Rome in 1960. Valentino dresses, skirts and other apparel captured the hearts of many of Italy’s wealthiest ladies in the couturier’s early days and led to commissions from Babe Paley, Gloria Guinness, Jayne Wrightsman and others on the international best-dressed list (when it still meant something). They sought out Valentino for gorgeous gowns, jackets, elegant daytime wear and even when they needed wedding dresses.
An early fascination with fashion developed when Valentino attended the theater as a child and was dazzled by the evening gowns on stage. While a teenager in Voghera, Lombardy, he studied under Italian designer Ernestina Salvadeo and soon moved to Paris, where he trained at the École des Beaux-Arts and the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. Valentino spent time apprenticing under haute couturiers Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, learning how to design and construct high fashion while also thinking about how to strike out on his own.
In 1959, Valentino returned to Italy, and a year later, he opened his own salon, soon joining with longtime professional and personal partner Giancarlo Giammetti. It was located on Rome’s trendy Via Condotti and modeled after the French maisons. One of his earliest clients was Elizabeth Taylor, who discovered Valentino while she was in Rome filming Cleopatra and ordered the white dress that she wore to the premiere of Spartacus.
When the designer launched his first couture line in 1962 with its fiery red colors, it was internationally celebrated, with Valentino soon attiring fashion trendsetters including Princess Margaret and Audrey Hepburn. He formed an especially close friendship with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for whom he designed numerous dresses. Luxurious drapery with fine needlework, bold uses of color and dramatic flourishes would define Valentino fashion across the decades.
As a fashion house, Valentino is best known for its signature Valentino Red color, though one of its iconic lines is the monochromatic “no colour” collection for which the designer won the Neiman Marcus Award in 1967. (The collection also debuted his trademark “V.”) The white dresses and beige dresses led to a demand for Valentino wedding gowns, with clients including Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez and Anne Hathaway.
Valentino retired from his fashion empire in 2007, with Alessandra Facchinetti and then the duo Maria Grazia Chiuri (who departed in 2016) and Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeding him as creative directors. But Valentino still steps out of retirement for special occasions, such as designing a wedding gown for Princess Madeleine of Sweden in 2013.
Today, the brand offers a range of collections that include the Valentino Garavani line and REDValentino, a diffusion line that is aimed at a younger audience. The house has expanded far beyond women’s haute couture and prêt-à-porter to encompass various lines of accessories, including shoes, sunglasses, scarves and perfume.
Find vintage Valentino evening dresses, handbags and other items on 1stDibs now.