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A MODMEN Preview: An Exclusive Interview with Valentino

Fashion icon Valentino made haute couture history with his visionary take on elegant opulence. Now the designer-turned-movie star shines a rare light on his charmed life on and off the runway.

"Valentino." Just the mention of that legendary name conjures up images of supermodels and celebrities dressed to kill.

Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Gwenyth Paltrow, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Princes Margaret…Famed ladies like these have counted on Valentino to dress them for the spotlight for more than four decades. The haute couture maestro has never failed them.

"I have had a beautiful career that’s been like a dream," says Valentino, who spoke with Modmen.com after the premiere of his new documentary, "Valentino: The Last Emperor" at the Toronto International Film Festival.

With unprecedented access Vanity Fair writer-turned director Matt Tyrnauer serves up a rare, insider’s glimpse into Valentino’s career and his 50-year relationship with partner Giancarlo Giammetti. The film also marks that watershed moment when the couture icon bid farewell to the fashion industry. Their decision, as Tyrnauer poignantly captures, has as much to do with the state of today's fashion industry as it does with this duo's state of mind.

"The movie is emblematic of where fashion is today," says Tyrnauer. "Now huge companies and bankers are trying to invent passion with money. That's the difference between them and Valentino." - continue to Valentino Interview