Is it me or are cinemas awash with fashion documentary films? Now we have a film following the ultra glamorous Valentino in the run up to his 45th anniversary collection in 2007. Filmed by Vanity Fair reporter Matt Tymauer and like most fashion films, The Last Emperor is full of the most beautiful dresses and documents a life of luxury, but there is more here than meets the eye.

If there is one thing that catches my attention throughout the film it’s the portrayal of the relationship between Valentino and his business manager/lifelong boyfriend Giancarlo Giammetti. There are glimpses of love, respect and reality, not to mention the honest feedback when Giammetti tells Valentino he looked a little too tanned. We see how the pair balances each other out; Giammetti is charming and sociable while Valentino can come across as prickly and demanding.

There is a more sinister angle in the film which shows the transition of fashion as art and luxury bending to the will of new corporate bosses that have profits on their minds. The air becomes thick with rumors of the new corporation forcing Valentino into retirement and we see the will of Valentino fight for the identity of the brand he so passionately built up.

The luxury life we are shown puts even certain royalty to shame. We see the palace outside Paris, the villa in Rome, a private jet that carries not only Valentino but his six pugs and the yacht. A true rich and fabulous lifestyle, but after 50 years success in the fashion business it has all been worked hard for. We get to see little of Valentino working but the pieces we do see tell us just what a quick thinking genius he is. There is one scene were at the very last moment he designs and puts together a dress before showing the collection, his team work fast wrapping fabric around a model and off she trots down the catwalk.

A stylish and sumptuous film that gives a little of everything to keep you watching. From the remarkable and beautiful to the strange yet desirable. It’s like a Vanity Fair article in moving pictures.

Released in the US and coming to the UK soon, date TBC.