Matt Tyrnauer on Valentino: The Last Emperor

Filmmaker and Vanity Fair correspondent Matt Tyrnauer visits Miami International Fashion Week to discuss his documentary on the final two years of Valentino Garavani's legendary career — and what it means to capture the end of a fashion era.. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

On Thursday, September 24, 2009, filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer appeared at the Lincoln Theatre, South Beach to discuss his experience making the film Valentino: The Last Emperor with guests of the Miami International Fashion Week. The event was a fundraiser for the Miami Fashion Week Foundation, organized to raise funds benefiting emerging designers and students of fashion, photography, film and graphic design.

VIP guests were invited to an exclusive cocktail reception where they had a chance to mingle and be photographed with the director. Local celebrities including Miami's drag queen diva Elaine Lancaster were present to support the Foundation. Delicious bites were provided by Tiramesu and wines by Barefoot Wines. On display were artworks from Romero Britto, the classic red Valentino dress, and several items for the silent auction.

Valentino: The Last Emperor was a rare look into the world of an icon — a fashion king, a genius, a celebrated and respected designer, perfectionist, and lover of all things beautiful, Valentino Garavani. Through the lens of Matt Tyrnauer, viewers were able to see the personal, professional and at times amusing side of a man who devoted over 40 years of his life to his art and his partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti.

PGM: Of all the designers in the world, why Valentino?

MT: I wanted to make a movie about the end of an era, and Valentino was the last great master of high fashion working in the world. I happened to be with him for two years — the final two years of his career — so we really wanted it to be the passing of an era and a very important era in the history of fashion. Valentino's career spanned the golden age of the 20th century, with clients like Jackie Kennedy Onassis through to Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow. He was really the genius, central man of Hollywood, high fashion and the quintessential man of the red carpet. We got complete access to him and we really get to see a genius at work — from the height of his powers to the day he decided to hang up the last dress and walk out the door.

PGM: How did you find inspiration to do this documentary? Were there any challenges in approaching him?

MT: I think it was a sort of inner calling. I am not a fashion person at all — it's not my field, not my expertise. When I met Valentino I saw someone who was clearly an artistic genius and also commercially very successful. The movie is about two people: Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti, his lifelong partner in business and life. It is about a very extraordinary relationship — not just about dresses, but two people who went on a journey together and created something truly extraordinary. Even though Valentino is an icon for half a century, you really don't know the real story. That's what inspired me — I saw their unique journey and thought it was worthy of a film.

PGM: What do you want viewers to walk away with that they never knew before about Valentino?

MT: I think people feel like they know who Valentino is — they know he is the master of a certain kind of glamour, a figure of high society. But really what you see is a true human being behind this man of inspiration and genius. At the end of the film you admire Valentino not because he is wealthy or talented — though he is — but because he is a self-created person. He started with nothing and had a dream, and fulfilled his dream to the fullest extent. That is a very rare story among humans. People have a lot of dreams that go unfulfilled. I think Valentino could be an inspiration to us all.

"After me, the flood." — Valentino

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