Valentino laid to rest in Rome as fashion world and Romans mourn

Friends, celebrities and crowds of Romans gathered in Rome on Friday for the funeral of designer Valentino Garavani, who died on Monday at 93. The service was held at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs. Attendees included figures from fashion and film such as Anne Hathaway, Liz Hurley, Donatella Versace, Tom Ford, Anna Wintour and Suzy Menkes, alongside hundreds of Romans who assembled inside and outside the church.

Most mourners wore black, with occasional flashes of Valentino red; actress Sophia Loren sent a large wreath reading “Always in my heart.” The ceremony stressed beauty as a central theme. The Rev. Pietro Guerini called Mr. Garavani a “seeker of beauty, creator of beauty,” and the windows of the flagship Maison Valentino in Rome had been covered with a panel bearing Mr.

Garavani’s line, “I love beauty. It’s not my fault.” His longtime partner Giancarlo Giammetti and his companion Bruce Hoeksema spoke briefly at the end of the funeral; Mr. Hoeksema said, “I don’t say goodbye today, I say thank you. For choosing me, for walking with me, and for leaving me changed forever.” About 10,000 people queued at a wake held earlier in a wing of the palazzo that houses Maison Valentino’s headquarters, and mourners applauded as Mr.

Garavani’s coffin moved along the basilica nave before it was taken for burial in Rome’s Prima Porta cemetery.

Key Topics

Culture, Valentino Garavani, Rome, Maison Valentino, Giancarlo Giammetti, Bruce Hoeksema