In a 2004 Vanity Fair profile of Valentino Garavani, the designer’s longtime publicist, Carlos Souza, said the following to reporter Matt Tyrnauer: “Valentino is really the gentleman of the drop-dead entrances of the red carpet.”

That wasn’t an exaggeration. Over the decades, Valentino had amassed a Hollywood clientele where nearly every list was A: Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Halle Berry, and Cate Blanchett all wore his evening dresses at some of the highest profile moments of their lives. Like when they’re winning Oscars: Roberts accepted the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actress in a black-and-white Valentino gown. Three years later, Blanchett stood on stage at the Dolby Theater for the same award in Valentino pale yellow silk taffeta with a burgundy belt.

It wasn’t just award shows where Valentino reigned supreme. His glamorous designs—known for the feminine details like bows, lace, and embroidery— regularly showed up on red carpets from Los Angeles to the French Rivera. Often times, the designer accompanied the wearer as a date—like in 2002, when he attended the Cannes Film Festival alongside Paltrow. (In 2009, Garavani answered the Proust Questionnaire for Vanity Fair, responding to the question “What do you value most in your friends?” with “They have to love my designs!”)

Even after Valentino retired in 2008, Hollywood stars still wore his archival designs on the red carpet. Kaia Gerber wore a cream, bohemian ensemble from the Rome couturier’s spring/summer 1997 haute couture collection to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2025. It looked just as au currant as ever.

Below, some of Valentino Garavani’s most memorable red carpet designs in memoriam of the late, great designer who passed away at the age of 93.