Valentino Garavani Quotes

“I like things simple.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I am especially grateful that I have been able to keep my own style over the decades, in spite of the many changes that have taken place in the world of fashion and in its business.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Even as a young boy, my passion was to design, and I have been very lucky to be able to do what I have loved all my life. There can be few greater gifts than that.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I am happy that thousands of students, young designers and fashion people will be able to see and study my work in every aspect of it.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I know what women want. They want to be beautiful.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I hope people will say, 'Mr. Valentino, he did something for fashion, no?'”

— Valentino Garavani

“There are only three things I can do - make a dress, decorate a house, and entertain people.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I am like a freight train. Working on the details, twisting them and playing with them over the years, but always staying on the same track.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I love my beauty. It's not my fault.”

— Valentino Garavani

“An evening dress that reveals a woman's ankles while walking is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Unfortunately, the greatest photographers don't pay extreme attention to the clothes. If they decide to put a dress in a bathtub or in front of a cow in the countryside with dirt everywhere, well, the dresses come back ... ready to be put in the garbage.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I didn't like the '80s at all; it was a vulgar moment of fashion.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I love the 2000s because everyone started to love haute couture.”

— Valentino Garavani

“My first year, people were interested in me because I was new. Then the press started to come.”

— Valentino Garavani

I am always locked in my design studio.

— Valentino Garavani

“I have my favourite fashion decade, yes, yes, yes: '60s. It was a sort of little revolution; the clothes were amazing but not too exaggerated.”

— Valentino Garavani

“When I entertain at home, I take time and pleasure in the small details that make all the difference. Entertaining is about giving to people and sharing with them.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Elegance is the balance between PROPORTION, EMOTION & SURPRISE.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Only wear clothes that make you feel alive.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Luck is one thing. It has always been there, it has always been a part of my success. It's a part of everyone's success. Without it, you can't be successful. But luck is something you have to stimulate, something you have to nurture through the choices you make ... That's why things have always worked out for me. Things work out not just because I'm lucky, but because I plan ahead. I figure out what I want and I go for it. I've always spent a lot of time trying to surround myself with the right people, the kinds of teammates who could lead me to my goals.”

— Valentino Garavani

“I put the number 7 on my t-shirt because this is the number of my championships but also because it was the number of Barry Sheene, who was a great hero of mine and a truly great racer,”

— Valentino Garavani

“French people are charming, adorable but not extremely generous with foreigners, but they believe in what they do. I feel proud in exchange because what I did in restoration is something I did for La France.”

— Valentino Garavani

“Very few designers today design - it's very important to be able to do your own sketch on paper and then explain [your vision] to the fabric cutters. Instead, lots of designers drape - it's the new way.”

— Valentino Garavani

“My title rivals are behind me but at the moment I am not thinking about that. My target is to finish on the podium and then well see where everybody else is.”

— Valentino Garavani