A mix of carmine and scarlet, with a hint of orange ¡ª a new hue, inspired by an elderly woman at Barcelona¡¯s opera house, whose elegance struck a young Valentino Garavani.

The color, introduced to the fashion world several years later, in 1959, with a strapless cocktail dress of draped tulle, has carried his name ¡ª ¡°Valentino red¡± ¡ª ever since, doubling as the eponymous Italian fashion group¡¯s signature.

¡°I think a woman dressed in red is always wonderful, she is the perfect image of a heroine,¡± Valentino wrote in the book ¡°Rosso¡± (Red), released in 2022. He would include at least one red dress in every one of his collections.