Valentino Garavani women's bags

A look back at an Italian legend synonymous with style.

The designer Valentino Garavani, or to give him his full name, Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, is well-known the world over. Of Italian origin, Valentino developed a passionate interest in art and architecture from a very early age. He decided to leave Milan and move to Paris when he was just 17 years old. After taking a training course in fashion, he began to work in the fashion industry with Jean Dessès and then Guy Laroche. Boosted by his experience, he launched his own brand in 1960. His aim was simple: to make women look and feel sublime. He was amply rewarded by his female customers since his creations met with resounding success. The designer dressed all the greatest names of the era like Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. The brand was sold to the Marzotto group in 1998, although Valentino Garavani stayed on as the designer until 2007, the year he brought out his final collection. The Italian brand is renowned for its refined, lightweight clothing but the ladies' handbags are every bit as impressive.

A line of bags for stylish, modern women.

The collections of women's handbags embody the style and elegance for which the brand became famous at the very beginning. As for colourways, contrasting black is often a dominant feature of the designs. The use of "Valentino red" is also noteworthy, a beautiful poppy hue that Valentino Garavani perfected in 1960. A rock'n'roll vibe features heavily in the collections of bags in the form of metal studs and fringes. Forms vary from tiny evening versions to generously-sized bags more suitable for modern daily life. In all cases, the label crafts its women's bags from leathers of the very highest quality.

A feminine silhouette which leaves nothing to chance.

Alongside clothing and bags, Valentino Garavani has extended its fields of expertise to include women's footwear. Trainers, sandals and ballet pumps are the styles which feature the most in the dedicated section on Vestiaire Collective. Of course, the products count among the brand's must-haves.

Every day, Vestiaire Collective proposes new designs of bags created by the leading designers of our time. As far as Valentino Garavani's Italian style is concerned, the following designs dominate the top of the best sellers’ list:

• The famous Glam Lock design;
• The Rockstud Spike bag;
• The Vavavoom by Valentino Garavani.