How Valentino Garavani Changed Tamara Mellon’s Life — and Taught Her About True Friendship

Tamara Mellon’s life was forever changed when she first met the late legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani 26 years ago. At the time, the Jimmy Choo co-founder and recently engaged entrepreneur was juggling her demanding career with wedding preparations — her big day taking a backseat to her work.

While covering the Oscars in 2000, Mellon crossed paths with Carlos Souza, head of public relations and a close confidant of Valentino. Their conversation turned to her upcoming nuptials.

“I said, I don’t have a dress yet,” Mellon recalled to Vox Daily Times. “He said, ‘You have to get on a plane and go to Rome right now.’”

Souza assured her that Valentino would help — in a way most women could only dream of. “He … saved me. I was so busy with work and organizing everything else … the last thing I did was find a dress,” Mellon said.

Although Valentino initially fretted over time constraints — there was “not enough time to do all the tulle and the lace that takes so many hours to hand-embroider” — he agreed to take on the task. “He said, ‘Don’t worry, we will do something beautiful for you,’ and he absolutely did. It was the biggest gift … he designed the most beautiful wedding gown.”

The encounter, remarkable given that the two had never met, sparked a decades-long friendship, Mellon said — a reflection of Valentino’s generosity and character.

A Legacy of Fashion and Influence

Valentino founded his eponymous label in 1960, after studying fashion in Milan and Paris as a teenager. By the mid-1950s, he had won a prestigious design competition and worked with evening gown couturier Jean Dessès. In 1959, he launched his own creations, including the crimson-orange strapless “Fiesta” cocktail dress — a signature color he would feature in countless collections.

For nearly five decades, Valentino dressed the world’s most famous figures, from Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy to Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Elizabeth Taylor, who famously wore his gown to the 1960 premiere of Spartacus.

“I don’t know of another brand that has been relevant consistently for 60 years. It is a massive achievement,” Mellon said.

Yet it was who Valentino was as a person that left the deepest mark. When Mellon met him in Rome to work on her wedding dress, she discovered a loyal, thoughtful individual who quickly became like family.

“When you think of Valentino, you think of the beautiful dresses that make you look elegant and sophisticated,” she said. “But then you step into his world and his life — he makes you feel included and welcome.”

A Mentor and Friend

Valentino was described as endlessly curious, eager to learn, and open to inspiration from those around him. “I was the next [fashion] generation. He was learning from me, and I was learning from him,” Mellon recalled.

Over the years, Valentino was present for many milestones in Mellon’s life, from the news of her pregnancy with her daughter Minty in 2001 while aboard his St. Tropez yacht, to celebrating her OBE award. “For him to be at the dinner celebrating my OBE with me was incredibly special,” she said.

At his Château de Wideville, outside Paris, Valentino’s warm and gracious presence made the grand 17th-century home feel intimate. “He made every guest feel welcome — an unbelievably rare skill,” Mellon said. “He loved to laugh and hear the latest gossip or scandal. He was fun like that.”

A Lasting Impact

Valentino stepped down as creative director of his brand in 2008, nearly a decade after selling the company for $300 million. Even after retirement, he continued to support the label and its new leadership.

“To set an example in the industry, he attended fashion shows after selling the company, supporting the new creative director. That takes an incredible person,” Mellon said.

Asked how Valentino inspired her personally, she reflected, “He inspired me in how to live my life. I talk to my partner about how we want to live by the standards of our home. And he looks at me and he goes, ‘Is it Valentino?’ That’s our checkpoint.”

Valentino Garavani passed away peacefully at age 93 in his Rome home on January 19, 2026, surrounded by loved ones. His funeral will be held Friday at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome’s Piazza della Repubblica, with Mellon and her daughter in attendance.

He will be remembered not only for transforming the fashion world but also for the person he was. “He’s been the gold standard of how to behave in life, in business and socially,” Mellon said.