The Stars Shine at Valentino’s Documentary Premiere

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty

Being in front movie cameras isn’t exactly new to iconic designer Valentino — he did have a cameo in The Devil Wears Prada, after all — but with a new documentary that’s all about him, the taste-maker is now the star of the show. And at last night’s premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, his roster of superstar fans, including Diane Kruger, Elizabeth Hurley, Claire Danes and Natalia Vodianova, all turned out. Kruger, wearing a beige Valentino gown the designer had chosen especially for her, told PEOPLE: “I found it really emotional to see. You know, he’s one of the last greats.” And supermodel Vodianova was equally impressed: “I thought the film was so funny — Valentino’s really like that. He didn’t act different for the cameras.” As for the man himself, Valentino told PEOPLE, a bit ruefully, “I said a few things maybe I shouldn’t have said, but I’m happy.” And he certainly looked it at the premiere’s after-party at the Peggy Guggenheim museum, holding court on a candlelit rooftop terrace surrounded by VIP guests like Charlize Theron, Tilda Swinton and model Eva Herzigova who declared the night a success, telling us, “Valentino throws a great party.” –Reporting by Courtney Rubin