Honors for 'Last King of Fashion'

CHEN:
Eight months after tearfully bowing out of fashion, Valentino returns to the red carpet with a film celebrating the man who dressed some of the world's greatest beauties from Jackie Kennedy to Princess Diana. Here's more.

STORY:
Arriving at Venice's Lido by boat together with supermodel Eva Herzigova, the fashion designer is in the city for the prestigious film festival and presenting "Valentino: The Last Emperor". The documentary follows Valentino from June 2005 to July 2007 and takes the viewer into the studio where he created his dresses. There are scenes backstage at the Paris fashion shows where socialites queued up to see his collections, then into villas around the world where he threw parties for royalties and stars.

[Valentino, Retired Fashion Designer]:
"The movie exactly reflects what I am...I didn't really care about the camera following me and didn't pay any attention to all the questions and the requirements."

Director Matt Tyrnaue says the film did not lose any of its authenticity in the editing process, in which he says Valentino played no part.

[Matt Tyrnauer, Film Director]:
"Valentino and Giancarlo were extraordinarily brave to let cameras live with them for two years, it was a really brave thing..."

Valentino says he has grown to love dressing not just the world's most beautiful women.

[Valentino, Retired Fashion Designer]:
"I have always loved dressing really beautiful women however with time I have also learnt to love dressing women who perhaps weren't beautiful but who had something about them more than beauty: who knew how to wear a dress, who knew how to make it come to life, who knew how to befriend their outfit. For me, this is true elegance."

At one stage, during the film, Valentino says: "I know what women want, they want to be beautiful."