(posted on behalf of reporter Silvia Aloisi) 

What do you wear to an interview with Valentino?

I asked myself that question as I was dressing in my hotel room ahead of another busy day at the Venice film festival which included an afternoon sit-down with the fashion guru, on the Lido to present “Valentino: The Last Emperor”, a documentary about his career.

Preparing for the interview, I had read that Valentino once said: “I have had the life of an aesthete. I’ve always loved beautiful things, beautiful people. I hate sloppiness, disorder. Even relaxations must be kept under control.”

But it was a hot day and I knew I would have to run around all day between screenings and press conferences, so wearing comfortable clothes was my priority. In any case I had packed no tailored suits, let alone an evening gown … simply because I don’t own one and am not particularly fashion-conscious.

Still, wearing jeans and a striped T-shirt, I felt slightly uneasy as I sat in front of the impeccably dressed Valentino, with his light beige jacket, white trousers and pale blue shirt matching a pair of suede shoes.

I asked him about what he thought about modern fashion and whether the era of haute couture was well and truly over. Not so, he replied.

“There will always be people who want nice things. There are so many rags around, one is  spoilt for choice. But one must not forget that there are women who have a certain life style. Women who, be it for their own profession or for their husband’s work or for whatever social occasion, need to be well dressed.”

I don’t think Valentino was referring to my clothes when he said rags — he is too polite for that. But maybe it’s time to go and buy that tailored suit.

Thursday was Valentino day at the Venice film festival, where “Valentino: The Last Emperor” had a glittering evening premiere at the Teatro La Fenice opera house. The Italian designer, who retired in January this year after nearly half a century in the business, gave the festival a much-needed boost on a day when glamour was otherwise in short supply. Liz Hurley and Eva Herzigova showed up for the screening, where long, flowing dresses and diamonds the size of marbles were in abundance.

The great man, wearing a white tuxedo and his locks typically well-coiffed, shared a few moments with us on his way into the screening.

“I left (the fashion business) with joy, I left because I knew that I wanted to live a little my life and I did a lot in fashion, so now I think about myself,” he said, speaking in heavily accented English.

The film is a fly-on-the-wall look at the couturier, and it features several amusing scenes starring his six pug dogs. One clip shows one of the pampered canines having its teeth brushed and a squirt of breath freshener added for good measure, while another shows a dog leaving a fashion shoot to relieve itself near the photographer.