Valentino, Italian haute couture 'emperor' who painted fashion red, dies at 93

FILE PHOTO: Designer Valentino Garavani poses as he arrives for the gala screening of the film "Nocturnal Animals" during the 60th British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival at Leicester Square in London, Britain October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

ROME, Jan 19 (Reuters) - ROME, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A mix of carmine and ‌scarlet, with a hint of orange - a new hue, inspired by an elderly woman at Barcelona's opera house, whose elegance struck a young Valentino Garavani.

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