Valentino, Explained: The Rockstud, the VLogo, the Bags and How the Shoes Fit

Valentino is the Rome couture house Valentino Garavani opened in 1959, known for evening dresses in its own shade of red, and its shoes, bags and belts carry his full name, Valentino Garavani. If you are buying your first piece, start with the accessories: the Rockstud pump, studded since 2010; the VLogo Signature, the gold V on slingbacks, flats and belts; or one of the bags. Alessandro Michele, formerly of Gucci, has been creative director since 2024. Below, our editors cover the house's history, what Michele has changed, the Rockstud and VLogo shoes, the bags, the red dresses, how Valentino shoes and clothes fit, which piece to buy first, and how to wear it all.

A short history of Valentino

Valentino Garavani was born in Voghera, in northern Italy, in 1932 and trained in Paris before opening his atelier on Rome's Via Condotti in 1959, according to the house's own history. The next year he founded the house with Giancarlo Giammetti, an architecture student who became his business partner. Showing in Florence's Sala Bianca in 1962 brought international attention, and in 1968 two moments defined him: the all-white collection later known as the White Collection, and the dress Jacqueline Kennedy wore to marry Aristotle Onassis. Boutiques followed in Paris, Milan, Rome, New York, London and Tokyo, and since 1975 the house has shown in Paris.

His signature was a color. From his early collections he dressed women in a rich scarlet, and the shade became so tied to him that the industry called it Valentino red, as CNN recalled in its obituary. He retired in 2007. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli became co-creative directors in 2008, Piccioli led alone from 2016, and Alessandro Michele took over on April 2, 2024, responsible for the women's, men's and haute couture collections and the accessories. Valentino Garavani died at his home in Rome on January 19, 2026, aged 93, and the house's online timeline now closes with a simple line: "Thank you Mr. Valentino."

Valentino under Alessandro Michele

Michele, formerly Gucci's creative director, released a large lookbook in the summer of 2024 and then showed his first Valentino runway collection, Pavillon des Folies, in Paris in September 2024. Dazed's review described a deep dig into the house archive of the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s: polka dots, ruffles, bows, chiffon, lace fascinators and heavy costume jewelry, with the house's scarlet returning in a ra-ra dress and a silky blouse. He also moved quickly on the accessories. The DeVain, a clutch and shoulder bag with a leather tag that Valentino's own boutiques and website can personalize with initials, arrived with the Pre-Fall 2025 collection, according to FashionNetwork, and he reworked the Rockstud for Pre-Fall 2026.

For a buyer, that means two Valentinos on the shelves at once: the decorative, archive-inspired pieces that are Michele's own, and the long-running accessories (the Rockstud, the VLogo Signature) that he has kept and updated. The second group is the easier place to start.

The Rockstud: Valentino's pyramid-stud pump

The Rockstud first appeared in Valentino's Fall 2010 collection, designed by Piccioli and Chiuri. Its small pyramid studs come from Rome: WWD traces them to bugnato, the rusticated stonework on the city's palaces. The house later made a larger stud, the Roman Stud, and marked the Rockstud's 10th anniversary in 2020 with designer collaborations. In November 2025 an archival red Rockstud pump turned up on Miranda Priestly in the teaser for The Devil Wears Prada 2, and a month later Michele's Pre-Fall 2026 version followed: a caged pump with a narrow square toe capped in gold metal, shown with a studded heeled sandal and a thong sandal.

Valentino names most of its shoes by heel height in millimeters, which makes choosing easier:

• 100 mm: a four-inch stiletto. Wear it with cropped trousers or a knee-length dress so the ankle straps show.
• 60 to 65 mm: the height most people can wear through a long evening.
• 40 mm: a kitten heel for the office and for long days on your feet.
• 5 mm: the Rockstud ballerinas and Mary Janes, for every day.

The caged straps fasten at the ankle and add visual weight, so the Rockstud looks best with a bare ankle or sheer tights and with simple clothes. The studs are metal, so they snag fine knits, silk and tights; store each pair in the dust bag it comes with, and when you fasten the ankle strap, choose the hole that stops your heel lifting rather than the tightest one. Browse more heels across houses in our designer pumps.

The VLogo Signature: slingbacks, flats and belts

The VLogo Signature is the house's V emblem, shown in gold-tone metal or covered in the same leather as the shoe, on slingbacks, pumps, ballerinas, loafers and boots. The slingback is the version to know: at 40 mm it is an office shoe, at 80 mm it works for dinner, and a V covered in the shoe's own patent leather is quieter than the gold metal one. The loafer carries a small gold V on its strap and is the easiest to wear with jeans. Compare other houses' designs in our designer slingbacks.

The VLogo belt is one of the least expensive ways into Valentino and one you will wear often. Many are reversible, usually black on one side and a second color on the other. Widths are in the product names: 20 mm for dresses and high-waisted trousers, 30 mm for jeans, 40 mm to wear over a coat or blazer. A gold V on a black belt goes with almost anything; the crystal V is for evening. There are more options across houses in our designer belts and our guide to the best designer belts.

Valentino Garavani bags: which one to buy

The house's bags split between the Rockstud and VLogo lines and Michele's newer shapes:

• Rockstud bags. The small shoulder bag in grained leather with studs along the flap is the everyday choice; the Rockstud Spike is quilted and studded all over; the grained leather tote has studs around the base.
• Locò. A small, structured shoulder bag with the V on the front (covered in leather on the calfskin version), a detachable chain and a detachable handle, so it goes from crossbody to handheld.
• VSling. A top-handle bag with a gold V, two handles and a long strap; the most polished Valentino for work.
• DeVain. Michele's clutch and shoulder bag, with a V on the front and a leather tag for initials.
• Panthea. A nappa bag worked in a chevron pattern, with enameled feline heads set with crystals, for when you want the bag to be the statement.

For a first Valentino bag, choose the small Rockstud or the Locò in black: both are small enough for evening, both come with a long strap and both suit plain clothes.

Valentino red, and the dresses

Red is the Valentino code worth wearing at least once. The house's scarlet is a warm, strong red, so it looks best against black, navy, cream or camel rather than other colors. A red coat or cape over a black dress and black pumps is the simplest version; a red silk blouse with navy trousers is the office one. Michele has brought back the polka dots of the house archive, and the house's Crepe Couture dresses, cut from a wool and silk blend, keep a crisp line from lunch to dinner. For events, see what to wear to a gala or an Oscars party.

Valentino shoes and clothes: how they fit

Shoes. Every Valentino shoe we checked is listed as made in Italy. The house sizes its shoes in European numbers, from 35 to 42 with half sizes on the listings that show them, and retailers convert those numbers differently, so read the size label on each listing: one lists 35 as a US 5, another shows only US sizes. The caged Rockstud straps and the slingback strap adjust, so between sizes choose the smaller size if your foot is narrow and the larger one if it is wide. A pointed toe adds length beyond your toes, so judge the fit at the widest part of your foot, and try the pump with the tights you plan to wear.

Clothes. The dresses, coats and blouses we checked are listed as made in Italy, but retailers size them two ways: some list US sizes, from 0 to 14 on the pieces we saw, and others list Italian sizes, from 38 to 50. Use each retailer's size chart rather than guessing the conversion. The Crepe Couture dresses are fitted through the body, so choose by your bust and waist, and let a tailor adjust the hem.

Belts. Belts are sold by length. Measure a belt you already wear from where the leather meets the buckle to the hole you use most, and match it to the listing.

Which Valentino to buy first

Start with how often you will wear it. Studs and the V are easiest to live with in small doses, so the best first purchase is usually something you will reach for every week rather than the most decorated piece in the collection.

Leave the reds, the embroidered dresses and the more decorated bags for a second or third piece, once you know how often you reach for Valentino.

How to wear Valentino

Four formulas to start from:

1. Office: navy tailoring, a cream silk blouse, 40 mm VLogo slingbacks and a VSling bag. Let the gold V be the only hardware in the outfit.
2. Dinner: a black Crepe Couture dress, 100 mm Rockstud pumps and a Locò on its chain.
3. Weekend: straight jeans, a gray sweater, Rockstud ballerinas and a VLogo belt at the waist.
4. Winter evening: a red coat or cape over black, sheer tights, black pumps and a small black bag.

Studs, the V and red all draw the eye, so let one of them lead and keep the others small. If you would like the whole look built around a Valentino piece you already own, ask our AI stylist.

If you like Valentino, look at these houses too

• Gucci, where Michele was creative director before Valentino; see our Gucci guide.
• Balenciaga, now led by Pierpaolo Piccioli, one of the two designers behind the Rockstud; see our Balenciaga guide.
• Christian Louboutin and Aquazzura, for high heels with their own signatures.
• Oscar de la Renta, for eveningwear in the same spirit of color and occasion.

How we chose

Each product here carries the Valentino or Valentino Garavani label and is new, not pre-owned. We kept to pieces in stock in at least four sizes when we checked, favored the lines the house keeps making (the Rockstud, the VLogo Signature, the Locò and the VSling) alongside Michele's DeVain, and read every listing for heel height, materials and country of manufacture before comparing its photo with the description. The history comes from Valentino's own timeline, CNN, Dazed, WWD and FashionNetwork, and each is linked where we cite it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Valentino and Valentino Garavani?

They are the same house. Valentino is the fashion house and its clothes; Valentino Garavani, the founder's full name, is the name on its shoes, bags and accessories, including the Rockstud and VLogo lines.

When did the Valentino Rockstud come out?

In the Fall 2010 collection, designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli. The pyramid studs refer to the bugnato stonework on Roman buildings, and Alessandro Michele updated the pump with a squared, metal-tipped toe for Pre-Fall 2026.

Do Valentino shoes run small?

Valentino sizes its shoes in European numbers with half sizes, and retailers convert them to US sizes in different ways, so go by the size label on each listing rather than your usual US size. The ankle straps on the Rockstud and the slingback adjust, which helps between sizes, and a pointed toe should be judged at the widest part of the foot.

Who designs Valentino now?

Alessandro Michele, creative director since April 2024 and formerly of Gucci. He oversees the women's, men's and haute couture collections and the accessories.

Who owns Valentino?

The Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, which bought the house in 2012, still controls it. Kering, which owns Gucci and Saint Laurent, bought a 30 percent stake in 2023, and under a 2025 amendment to their agreement, WWD reported, control of Valentino will not change before 2028 at the earliest.

What is Valentino red?

The scarlet Valentino Garavani favored for his evening dresses from early in his career. It became so closely tied to him that the shade carries his name.

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