DUBAI: Stars from around the world including US model Olivia Culpo and Jordanian Romanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi this week attended the opening of Valentino’s first exhibition in the Middle East in Qatar.
On Thursday, Qatar Creates, Qatar Museums and Maison Valentino hosted the opening of “Forever Valentino,” a major exhibition that pays homage to the founder of the fashion house, Valentino Garavani, and its still-unfolding heritage of haute couture.
The exhibition, which is now open at Msheireb Downtown Doha, is the largest ever devoted to the fashion house featuring over 200 Valentino haute couture pieces and prêt-à-porter outfits.
Muaddi posed in a voluminous brown Valentino gown. (Getty)
Coinciding with the celebration of Garavani’s 90th birthday and the unveiling of the Valentino “The Beginning” haute couture collection in the heart of Rome, the exhibition is conceived as a vast panorama of the history of the fashion house, embedded in scenography that evokes the eternal city, where Maison Valentino was established in 1959.
On the red carpet, Culpo turned heads in a hot pink jumpsuit from the brand’s fall/winter 2022/2023 Pink PP collection. She paired it with gloves, a purse and glitzy diamonds.
Meanwhile, Muaddi posed in a voluminous brown Valentino gown, from the label’s spring/summer 2023 collection, that featured a long cape hanging from the shoulders.
Culpo paired her jumpsuit with gloves, a purse and glitzy diamonds. (Getty)
Besides Culpo and Muaddi, the opening event also featured several A-list stars including US singer and songwriter Janet Jackson, US-Somali model Halima Aden, Canadian model Sabrina Elba, French filmmaker Farida Khelfa, “Real Housewives of Dubai” star Chanel Ayan, Bella and Gigi Hadid’s father Mohammed Hadid, German model Leonie Hanne, British model and activist Leomie Anderson.
There were many Middle East celebrities present including Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi, Egyptian actress Salma Abou Daif, Palestinian singer Elyanna and Lebanese social media star Karen Wazen.
The exhibition has rarely seen ensembles designed for the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and, more recently, Zendaya.
There were many Middle East celebrities present including Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi. (Getty)
Curated by artistic director of the New Museum New York Massimiliano Gioni, fashion critic and author Alexander Fury and Valentino’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the exhibition also features ensembles from the private collection of Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a long-standing client of the fashion house.
Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums, said in a released statement: “With the world’s eyes on Doha as we launch into our exciting schedule of events surrounding the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, I am proud that we are welcoming the public to an exhibition that is as imaginative, glamorous, and elegant as the subject itself: the creations of Maison Valentino.”
“I express my warmest thanks to everyone who collaborated with us to realize this tribute to a great artistic vision, and I look forward to continuing to share extraordinary explorations of the best of fashion and design,” she added.
