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Valentino Garavani Dies at 93: Remembering the Italian Fashion Legend

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Photo: Shutterstock

Valentino Garavani, the Italian designer whose name was synonymous with couture discipline and colour mastery, has died at the age of 93. He passed away in Rome on January 19, 2026, according to an official statement released by the Valentino Garavani & Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation.

Born Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani in Voghera in 1932, he began his career at a time when elegance was still governed by structured tailoring and formal codes. Trained in Milan and Paris, Valentino returned to Italy in the late 1950s to establish his fashion house in Rome, a city whose grandeur and history would remain central to his design approach.

Photo: Shutterstock

Photo: Shutterstock

By the 1960s, Valentino had had gained international clients, dressing aristocrats, actresses, and first ladies with a carefulness followed strict couture conventions. His work was featured sharp tailoring. Few designers have so successfully balanced excess with discipline, romance with order.

One of his defining signature is the color that became inseparable from his name a distinctive shade of red that was associated with formal evening wear and couture presentation rather than provocation. It was worn by Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy, Sophia Loren, and later worn by contemporary actresses and public figures extending his cultural relevance across decades of cultural memory.

Photo: Shutterstock

His personal and professional partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti, who joined the house in 1960, shaped the business and public image of the house. Together, they built Valentino into one of Italy’s leading Italian couture houses navigating the transition from couture salon to global fashion house while maintaining its couture focus.

Valentino stepped away from active design in 2008, presenting his final collection with a final haute couture collection in Paris that reflected his long-standing emphasis to form and finish. While the house would go on under new creative leadership, his influence remained embedded in its shapes and couture techniques.

Tributes followed from across the fashion industry, film, and global culture, acknowledging not only his aesthetic contributions but his insistence on standards in an increasingly fast-paced industry. Within the fashion industry Valentino represented a belief in fashion as a discipline one shaped by patience, skill, and an understanding of beauty as something constructed, not improvised.

Photo: Centromedicoloira

He is survived by his partner Giancarlo Giammetti. Funeral arrangements will take place in Rome, with plans for a public viewing to be announced. With his passing, fashion loses one of its last true couturiers a designer whose work did not chase relevance, yet never lost it.

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Rihanna and Rocki Make History in a First-of-Its-Kind Mother–Daughter Cover Feature

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Photo: Tim Walker

Rihanna’s daughter, Rocki, has made her first magazine cover appearance alongside her mother for W magazine’s Pop Issue. Not yet a year old, Rocki emerged into public view, dressed in Dior, sharing the cover with Rihanna in what marks the first public photo the singer has released of her daughter since announcing her birth seven months ago in September.

Photo: Tim Walker

Photo: Tim Walker

Rihanna celebrated on Instagram, expressing her excitement about Rocki’s debut. She wrote, “Cover girrrrrlz!!! Baby Rocki served sumn serious on her first cover! Came on set and shut her mama dowwwnn!!!!” as she introduced her daughter to the public in a fashion setting.

Although Rihanna did not participate in a direct interview with W Magazine for the feature, several people close to her contributed to the story. Among them was her partner, A$AP Rocky, who shared insight into how Rihanna has evolved over the years. The couple, who were longtime friends before their relationship became public in late 2020, now share three children together: Rocki, RZA, and Ricky.

Photo: Tim Walker

Photo: Tim Walker

Rocky spoke about the impact motherhood has had on Rihanna, he explained that while she has grown and adapted in this new phase, to him, Rihanna has always carried a unique presence, describing her as thoughtful and genuine. In his words, “she is the most charming and genuine person on Earth. Her energy is unmatched—one of a kind. I just adore her.”

Photo: Tim Walker

Photo: Tim Walker

For the cover, both Rihanna and Rocki wore Dior haute couture. Rocki’s look included a custom designed diaper and matching headpiece, created specifically for the shoot. The concept reflected Rihanna’s creative input.

Photo: Tim Walker

Photo: Tim Walker

Jonathan Anderson, the house’s creative director, spoke about working with Rihanna on the project. He noted that the custom couture diaper was an unusual request, but one that aligned with Rihanna’s. In his word, “she is thinking outside the box. When she has an idea, I’m always trusting in the process. I trust her implicitly on anything she feels that is right to do.” He explained that she approaches fashion with clarity and confidence, often interpreting designs in ways that feel authentic to her.

Rihanna and Rocky’s cover hits different; it’s fashion, motherhood, and representation all in one frame.

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Olandria Carthen Dazzles in Pajtim at the 2026 Vanity Fair Party

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Olandria Carthen - Instagram

After the Oscars ceremony, the Vanity Fair after‑party becomes its own runway, where attendees arrive in remarkable looks and make as much of a style statement as they did on the official red carpet. Olandria Carthen, who has been making headlines for her fashion looks since appearing on Love Island USA as “Bama the Barbie,” lived up to her reputation at the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscars after‑party in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026, wearing a custom white gown by Pajtim Raci.

Olandria Carthen – Instagram

Olandria wore a custom pleated gown featuring a dramatic halter-neckline that transitions into a plunging, open front bodice. The bodice is tightly ruched, all the white chiffon pulled into a single structured point at the waist before opening into a sheer floor-length skirt with a train.

Olandria Carthen – Instagram

Wide cutouts on both sides of the waist left her midsection exposed, reflecting the gown’s deliberate design.

Her hair was styled in a loose curly updo with a few pieces falling around her face. Makeup included sculpted eyebrows, a soft smoky eye, and a glossy 90s inspired lip. Accessories were diamond pieces by Azature, including statement rings.

Olandria Carthen – Instagram

This gown showed a more sculptural side of Pajtim Raci. Chiffon is a difficult fabric to work with keeping the bodice firm while allowing the skirt and cape to flow is not easy. Pajtim got it right, and Olandria had no trouble wearing it. That credit belongs to the designer.

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Lori Harvey Rocks a Daring Thigh-High Slit at Chanel’s Paris Show

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Photo credit: Instagram

Lori Harvey stepped out for the Chanel Fall/Winter 2026 Womenswear Show in Paris, wearing a look that paired a cropped tweed jacket with a vivid red blouse and a beige Chanel skirt cut with a striking high slit.

The look consists of a bright red blouse worn beneath a cropped brown and cream tweed jacket. The blouse was slightly open at the collar, creating a V-shaped neckline. The jacket featured tweed fabric and metallic buttons along the front.

Photo credit: Instagram

Harvey wore a beige Chanel midi skirt that was fastened in front with three rows of large buttons. The cut opened high along the right side, forming a high slit revealing her leg. A slim burgundy belt sat at the waist, repeating the colour of the blouse.

She completed her look with a small black quilted Chanel clutch, narrow-tinted sunglasses, and pointed nude heels.
Harvey kept her hair pulled back into a firm ponytail. Her makeup featured warm tones, with softly shaped brows, light eye definition and glossy nude lips. Harvey’s styling and choice of accessories helped her stand out among the guests at the Paris show.

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