La Dolce Vita, the Valentino Way
This month a large book about the house came out. 'Valentino: A Grand Italian Epic' is a 576-page tome devoted to all things Valentino: drawings of gowns, archival photographs, advertisements, fashion features and many anecdotes from celebrity fans.
Elizabeth Taylor discovered the label when she was filming 'Cleopatra' in Rome. Clients like Audrey Hepburn and Nan Kempner liked how classic the classics were. Mr. Garavani never embraced fads and stuck to what the critic Suzy Menkes described in the introduction as a penchant for 'frothy, sensual, sweet-toothed glamour.'
Matt Tyrnauer, who directed the 2009 documentary 'Valentino: The Last Emperor,' said in an interview that the book shows the house's role in the invention of fashion P.R. and modern advertising.
'Fashion was the most rarefied world for a certain set of women of a certain class who patronized these houses, who were not interested in publicity or marketing because they didn't need it, but the world was changing,' said Mr. Tyrnauer, who is credited as the author of the book (Ms. Menkes wrote the introduction). 'Giancarlo Giammetti was at the vanguard of that.'
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There have been so many amazing comedies about introducing a significant other to your parents, and your family, but there's a lot of great dramatic tension to mine when new love interests collide with old friends. What is the backstory with the 'penguini' pet name? What were other iterations before you landed on that one? Stoller: We just tried to think of the most embarrassing thing that Will would have to say in front of Sylvia. And so 'penguini' was born. Hilariously, one of our locations where we shot this season turned out to be right next to a restaurant called Caffe Pinguini. Delbanco: It made us laugh so hard to imagine Seth having to use a private baby-talk, lovey-dovey voice — it just doesn't suit his character, and it's so mortifying to be overheard in that mode. It felt like a strong way to announce that something new was going on with him this season. What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know? Stoller: I just watched the Billy Joel documentary ['Billy Joel: And So It Goes,' HBO Max]. I've always been a fan of his, but the documentary uncovers a lot of pain and history I was unaware of. It made me revisit his music and understand it in a whole new light. I also just saw the film 'Sorry, Baby' [VOD], which is hilarious, beautifully-shot, moving and even, at times, slightly scary. Delbanco: I recently finished the second season of 'Wolf Hall' [ and I can't stop thinking about it — I loved the novels and was floored that they were adapted for the screen with such incredible depth and power. The finale is still haunting me even though I watched it weeks ago. Main takeaway: I am so freaking glad I wasn't born during the reign of Henry VIII. What's your go-to 'comfort watch,' the movie or TV show you go back to again and again? Stoller: I watch 'Rushmore' [Hulu, Disney+], 'When Harry Met Sally' [VOD] and 'The Shining' [VOD] once a year. 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