Goldwell and Valentino - The Last Emperor

By Rob Kotevski August 24 2009

There’s a scene in Valentino: The Last Emperor where legendary actress Joan Collins is asked by a journalist what the difference is between high fashion and trash.

“I have absolutely no idea!” she exclaims.

Thankfully, Valentino, the subject of the documentary, is a little more aware of what constitutes high fashion, after forty-five years in the industry.

Salon-exclusive hair care label Goldwell held a preview screening of Valentino: The Last Emperor for a select group of hair and beauty editors. The fashion documentary screening was held to celebrate the launch of Goldwell’s new Colour Changes Everything initiative. Research conducted by Goldwell indicated that 81 per cent of women think that changing their hair colour changes how they feel about themselves and how the world sees them.

Goldwell held a preview screening of Valentino: The Last Emperor.

Valentino: The Last Emperor signposts an exciting season for anyone who has ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look at European high fashion. Indeed, fashionistas have been in for a treat recently with silver screen offerings such as Coco Avant Chanel and The September Issue, a peek inside the American Vogue ivory tower, with a leading role by Anna Wintour.

While Valentino is obviously the patriarch of a multi-million dollar empire, the film’s strength lies in making the designer’s inner sanctum appear endearingly like a small cottage industry. His squabbles with the Italian seamstresses could come from any small business in the industry of fashion. Valentino’s ever-present entourage of small puppies had many in the audience chuckle affectionately as the dogs are given free reign over the designer’s work and rest areas.

Another highlight of the film is the focus on Valentino and his life and business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti. They barely touch in the film, but their love for each other is a strong underlying current throughout the movie. They bicker like an old married couple, and indeed, they are.

Featuring guest appearances by a long list of fashion and cinema’s finest, including Tom Ford, Elizabeth Hurley, Sarah Jessica Parker and Donatella Versace, Valentino: The Last Emperor will be devoured by fashion lovers, while providing the general public with a bittersweet but ultimately rewarding look at a master at the top of his game who takes his final bow.

As Karl Lagerfeld tells the designer, “Compared to you, the rest of us are making rags."

Valentino: The Last Emperor graces cinemas nationally September 3.