VALENTINO: The Last Emperor (2008), Directed by Matt Tyrnauer “Beauty” Clip from the Official Trailer
VALENTINO FW 2007
Interview by Journalist & Director Karen Morrison
This backstage film and interview with Italian legend Valentino Garavani, the Emperor of Fashion, is one I will treasure forever.
It was February 28, 2007 and I was in Paris at Valentino’s Fall 2007 RTW show, reporting and producing Allure Backstage — the TV series I created with Linda Wells — and filming an episode of the MODTV Video Podcast.
The beauty look was inspired by 1940s Old Hollywood glamour — Pat McGrath gave the models a powerful red lip and hairstylist Orlando Pita created Veronica Lake waves.
Valentino was celebrating 45 years in fashion — a milestone moment — and after the show I asked him why beauty and glamour had always been at the heart of his work. His answer would become his most iconic quote:
It’s beauty — like I love a beautiful lady, I love a beautiful dog, I love a beautiful piece of furniture.
I love beauty, it’s not my fault
VALENTINO GARAVANI
My interview with Valentino was immortalized in the acclaimed documentary feature Valentino: The Last Emperor, directed by Matt Tyrnauer. Valentino’s response to my question — “I love beauty, it’s not my fault” — was in the trailer and became the tagline for the documentary, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2008. Tyrnauer’s film was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2010, and is now widely regarded as one of the greatest fashion documentaries ever made.
Following his passing on January 19, 2026, Valentino’s famous words “I love beauty, it’s not my fault” were displayed on black panels in the windows of the flagship store in Rome—a final tribute to the elegant, gracious designer who defined an era of beauty and glamour.
The phrase is permanently enshrined on the walls and the website of the Fondazione Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti—the museum in Rome dedicated to preserving his creative legacy.
Valentino was an extraordinary designer, artist, and visionary. It was a privilege to have interviewed him many times and documented so many of his collections. He will be deeply missed.
VALENTINO GARAVANI (1932–2026) 
→ Watch Valentino FW07 Backstage film on the MODTV Podcast.
Valentino FW 2007
Journalist & Director: Karen Morrison
Camera: Sebastien Goyer
Sound: Giovanni Sicignano
Production: MODTV
© MODTV Fashion Film Archive 2026