Volkswacht Bodensee - Valentino taught us to respect women, says partner

"He always said, 'It's not my fault, I just like beauty,'" Giammetti told journalists outside the Valentino headquarters in Rome.

The designer, who launched his fashion house in 1960, dressed some of the world's most famous women, from Elizabeth Taylor and Nancy Reagan through to Sharon Stone and Julia Roberts.

He was responsible for many iconic red carpet outfits, and was perhaps best known for his gowns in a vivid "Valentino red".

His legacy was that "fashion serves to embellish and not to ridicule", said Giammetti, whose business acumen helped elevate the label to global prominence.

Valentino believed "clothes should be recognised for what they give to women, not for what the design wants to convey", he said.

"From a creative point of view, he taught us to respect women."

- 'Nothing left' -

The designer's body will lie in state from Wednesday at the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation, next to the Valentino atelier in the historic centre.

There will then be a funeral on Friday at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs in the Italian capital.

Luca Bonilli, a 21-year-old fashion student at Rome's Belle Arti academy, was among those paying their respects Tuesday in front of the Foundation, where red roses lay in tribute.

Despite not knowing Valentino personally, the designer "had been a sort of mentor", he said.

"It is a great loss. Even for those who are not interested in fashion, he was an important figure," he told AFP.

And with Valentino's death coming just months after the passing of another Italian great, Giorgio Armani, "there is little or nothing left" of Italian fashion today, Bonilli said.

"When many Italian stylists and designers were still alive, I sense... the world of fashion was much more carefree and beautiful," he added.

F.Fehr--VB