Anne Hathaway, Anna Wintour, more stars attend Valentino funeral

The biggest names in fashion – including Donatella Versace, Tom Ford and Maria Grazia Chiuri – gathered in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, a church designed by Michelangelo and built on the ruins of ancient Roman baths.

A star-studded affair, the service brought together famed actresses like Anne Hathaway and Elizabeth Hurley, fresh off a court appearance. Olivia Palermo and fashion kingmaker Anna Wintour also attended.

"For the last twenty years, it has been my extraordinary honor to have known, loved and been cared for by the great Valentino Garavani," Hathaway wrote in a social media tribute following the designer's death. "He is a beloved, world-renown, Titan of a designer, but he was also my dear and cherished friend who educated me, raised me, sent me flowers every year on my birthday, made me laugh, was my dancing and karaoke partner on so many joyful nights, and who made my world so much brighter, grander and more delightful than I could have ever understood it to be."

The founder of the eponymous brand Valentino retired from designing in 2008 after a storied career in fashion that included dressing notable figures, such as Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Joan Collins, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Penelope Cruz and Sharon Stone. He also introduced a signature shade of crimson, with a hit of orange, known as "Valentino Red."

His cofounder, Giancarlo Giammetti, dressed in a sharply tailored black satin suit, and the designer's last partner, Bruce Hoeksema, accompanied the plain wooden coffin as it entered the church, drawing applause from the crowds outside.

Liz Hurley and her son, Damian Hurley, arrive at the funeral ceremony for the late Italian fashion designer Valentino Gavarani in Rome on Jan. 23, 2026.

"Through him, I discovered beauty, a beauty that followed us throughout our lives, that has kept us busy. We met when we were kids, we dreamed the same dreams, we managed to realise some of them, I would even say many of them," Giammetti said in his eulogy.

Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace arrives at the funeral ceremony for Valentino Gavarani in Rome on Jan. 23, 2026.

In an improvised speech, Hoeksema said: "Valentino, you were the person I spoke to, not the person I spoke about. You were beside me when words were not needed. Life was not always perfect, but it was real. One day at a time, for more than 40 years."

Valentino's current creative director, Alessandro Michele and his predecessor Pierpaolo Piccioli, also attended as did the company's Chief Executive Riccardo Bellini. French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault and Antoine Arnault, the eldest son of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, were also among the mourners.

Following the designer's death, Michele penned an essay for Vogue writing, "to me, he was almost a mythical figure." Piccioli also paid tribute in the magazine, calling Valentino "the most secure person I ever met."

Anna Wintour leaves the funeral ceremony for the late Italian fashion designer Valentino Gavarani in Rome on Jan. 23, 2026.

Hundreds gathered outside and inside the basilica, famed for the red of its marbled walls and columns – darker than Valentino red. White flowers framed the altar and a black-and-white photo of Valentino stood next to his coffin.

There were flashes of red among the pews – hats, scarves, bright carmine coats and a woollen shawl.

Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl arrive at Valentino's funeral on Jan. 23, 2026, in Rome, Italy.

More than 10,000 people paid their respects to Valentino on Wednesday and Thursday as he lay in state in Rome's Piazza Mignanelli, next to his fashion house's historical headquarters and a stone's throw from the city's iconic Spanish Steps.

There will be a private burial after the service.

Contributing: Reuters; Kim Willis, USA TODAY