Gwyneth Paltrow pens heartbreaking tribute for friend Valentino who dressed her for the Met Gala and wedding to Brad Falchuk

Gwyneth Paltrow shared a heartbreaking tribute to her dear friend, Italian fashion designer Valentino, who passed away in Rome at age 93 on Monday.

The design wiz dressed her for many events, such as the Met Gala, several Hollywood awards shows, and her wedding to Brad Falchuk in 2018. 

‘I was so lucky to know and love Valentino-to know the real man, in private,’ began her Instagram note. 

‘The man who was in love with beauty, his family, his muses, his friends. His dogs, his gardens, and a good Hollywood story. I loved him so much. I loved how he always pestered me to “at least wear a little mascara” when I came to dinner. I loved his naughty laugh.

‘This feels like the end of an era. He will be deeply missed by me and all who loved him. Rest in peace, Vava 💔.’

The Oscar-winning actress often vacationed with him on his yacht along with his friends.

She also wore one of his pink gowns to the 2013 Met Gala. And he dressed her in a white lace wedding gown when she tied the knot with Falchuk seven years ago. 

Scroll down to look at Valentino’s biggest moments… 

Cindy Crawford said, ‘I’m heartbroken to hear of Valentino Garavani’s passing. He was a true master of his craft, and I will always be grateful for the years I had the privilege of working closely with him. ❤️‍’

Linda Evangelista wrote on Instagram: ‘Mr. Valentino, thank you for the many wonderful memories of not only working with you, but the opportunity to experience your talent and elegance first hand. Rest in Peace ♥️.’ 

Model Claudia Schiffer said, ‘Heartbroken to hear of the passing of my old friend Valentino. He is what true legends are made of, living on forever through the brand he created, the embodiment of timeless elegance and glamour.

‘I loved the special times where I got to bring his creations to life on and off the runway. One of my favourite campaigns was in Rome where I became Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita, a memory I will cherish forever.

‘I will remember the fun holidays l spent with him in Mallorca, Ibiza and St Tropez. My Valentino wedding gown which I have framed at home as a constant reminder of his gentle, generous, sweet and loyal nature. Having him create my wedding gown was one of the great honors of my life, a moment I will cherish forever. I feel so proud to have been a part of his life. Repose en paix, Monsieur Valentino ❤️.’

Former model shared, ‘He was a master, and it was an honor and a great privilege to know him and model for him, and I will always remember his great kindness and infinite elegance. My thoughts go out to @giancarlogiammetti and the entire Valentino family. Rest in peace #valentino.’ 

Brunette bombshell Carol Alt said, ‘Just found out that we lost another great! RIP my friend Valentino. We did some amazing work together from Italian Vogue to advertorial’s to the cult film Portfolio. The world of fashion will never be the same.’

Sarah Jessica Parker wrote, ‘So many memories. So happy to recall. Of course, wish I had more. For your extraordinary talent, your decadent generosity and your love of all things beautiful, we are all more fortunate for the grand gestures you shared with the world. Godspeed Valentino Garavani. X, SJ.’

Coco Rocha said that ‘another giant of our industry, and a true gentleman’ has been lost.

‘I was lucky to know Valentino, not just as the iconic Roman couturier, but as a warm, generous presence who shaped fashion with grace, discipline, and beauty,’ the model wrote in an Instagram caption. ‘His legacy lives on in the restraint, elegance and conviction that defined both the man and his work.’

Donatella Versace shared: ‘Today, we lost a true maestro who will forever be remembered for his art. My thoughts go to Giancarlo (Giammetti) who never left his side for all these years. He will never be forgotten.’

Designer Zac Posen said: ‘Mr. Valentino has left us, and with him an era of rare elegance and grace. He believed deeply in glamour, in beauty, and above all in the power and love of women. He was a true gentleman and a romantic in every sense of the word.

‘He was always generous and kind, welcoming so many of us into the beautiful world he and his family created over decades. To experience that generosity, even briefly, was a true gift.’

He finished with, ‘Sending my love and deepest condolences to his family, his chosen family, his loved ones, and his loyal atelier family. The world is more beautiful because he was in it.’

Valentino Garavani, the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns – often in his trademark shade of Valentino red – were fashion show staples for nearly half a century, has died at home in Rome, his foundation announced Monday. He was 93.

‘Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision,’ the foundation said in a statement posted on social media.

His body will repose at the foundation´s headquarters in Rome on Wednesday and Thursday. The funeral will be held Friday at the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome´s Piazza della Repubblica.

Universally known by his first name, Valentino was adored by generations of royals, first ladies and movie stars, from Jackie Kennedy Onassis to Julia Roberts and Queen Rania of Jordan, who swore the designer always made them look and feel their best.

‘I know what women want,’ he once remarked. ‘They want to be beautiful.’

Never one for edginess or statement dressing, Valentino made precious few fashion faux-pas throughout his nearly half-century-long career, which stretched from his early days in Rome in the 1960s through to his retirement in 2008.

His fail-safe designs made Valentino the king of the red carpet, the go-to man for A-listers’ awards ceremony needs. His sumptuous gowns have graced countless Academy Awards, notably in 2001, when Roberts wore a vintage black and white column to accept her best actress statue. 

Cate Blanchett also wore Valentino – a one-shouldered number in butter-yellow silk – when she won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 2004.

Valentino was also behind the long-sleeved lace dress Jacqueline Kennedy wore for her wedding to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis in 1968. Kennedy and Valentino were close friends for decades, and for a spell the one-time U.S. first lady wore almost exclusively Valentino.

He was also close to Diana, Princess of Wales, who often donned his sumptuous gowns.

Beyond his signature orange-tinged shade of red, other Valentino trademarks included bows, ruffles, lace and embroidery; in short, feminine, flirty embellishments that added to the dresses´ beauty and hence to that of the wearers.

Perpetually tanned and always impeccably dressed, Valentino shared the lifestyle of his jet-set patrons. In addition to his 152-foot yacht and an art collection including works by Picasso and Miro, the couturier owned a 17th-century chateau near Paris with a garden said to boast more than a million roses.

Valentino and his longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti flitted among their homes – which also included places in New York, London, Rome, Capri and Gstaad, Switzerland – traveling with their pack of pugs. 

The pair regularly received A-list friends and patrons, including Madonna.

‘When I see somebody and unfortunately she’s relaxed and running around in jogging trousers and without any makeup … I feel very sorry,’ the designer told RTL television in a 2007 interview.

‘For me, woman is like a beautiful, beautiful flower bouquet. She has always to be sensational, always to please, always to be perfect, always to please the husband, the lover, everybody. Because we are born to show ourselves always at our best.’

Valentino was born into a well-off family in the northern Italian town of Voghera on May 11, 1932. He said it was his childhood love of cinema that set him down the fashion path.

‘I was crazy for silver screen, I was crazy for beauty, to see all those movie stars being sensation, well dressed, being always perfect,’ he explained in the 2007 television interview.

After studying fashion in Milan and Paris, he spent much of the 1950s working for established Paris-based designer Jean Desses and later Guy Laroche before striking out on his own. He founded the house of Valentino on Rome´s Via Condotti in 1959.

From the beginning, Giammetti was by his side, handling the business aspect while Valentino used his natural charm to build a client base among the world´s rich and fabulous.

After some early financial setbacks – Valentino´s tastes were always lavish, and the company spent with abandon – the brand took off.

Early fans included Italian screen sirens Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren, as well as Hollywood stars Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn. Legendary American Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland also took the young designer under her wing.

Over the years, Valentino´s empire expanded as the designer added ready-to-wear, menswear and accessories lines to his stable. Valentino and Giammetti sold the label to an Italian holding company for an estimated $300 million in 1998. Valentino would remain in a design role for another decade.

In 2007, the couturier feted his 45th anniversary in fashion with a 3-day-long blowout in Rome, capped with a grand ball in the Villa Borghese gallery.

Valentino retired in 2008 and was briefly replaced by fellow Italian Alessandra Facchinetti, who had stepped into Tom Ford´s shoes at Gucci before being sacked after two seasons.

Facchinetti´s tenure at Valentino proved equally short. As early as her first show for the label, rumors swirled that she was already on her way out, and just about one year after she was hired, Facchinetti was indeed replaced by two longtime accessories designers at the brand, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli.

Chiuri left to helm Dior in 2016, and Piccioli continued to lead the house through a golden period that drew on the launch of the Rockstud pump with Chiuri and his own signature color, a shade of fuchsia called Pink PP. He left the house in 2024, later joining Balenciaga, and has been replaced by Alessandro Michele, who revived Gucci´s stars with romantic, genderless styles.

Valentino is owned by Qatar´s Mayhoola, which controls a 70% stake, and the French luxury conglomerate Kering, which owns 30% with an option to take full control in 2028 or 2029. Richard Bellini was named CEO last September.

Valentino has been the subject of several retrospectives, including one at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, which is housed in a wing of Paris´ Louvre Museum. He was also the subject of a hit 2008 documentary, ‘Valentino: The Last Emperor,’ that chronicled the end of his career in fashion.

In 2011, Valentino and Giammetti launched what they called a ‘virtual museum,’ a free desktop application that allows viewers to feast their eyes on about 300 of the designer´s iconic pieces.