St. Valentine... or was it St. Valentino?

Hey there, today's Valentine's day.
And I'm honest: I hate it. For me it has become so commercial, the day of florists somehow. Real love doesn't need the pressure of an international Valentine's day. That's what I guess. Real love means gifting flowers without a special day. Plus I'm single. And singles hate Valentine's day. It's in the nature of being single. And not to seem as a desperate single it is always helpful to argument with these points. Works pretty well for Christmas too. Commerce and pressure.
So I went from Valentine to Valentino. Only one letter, such a difference. And I'm in love with Valentino. If I had a boyfriend and if I had the money, I'd spend my Valentine's day in Valentino. Because his robes are so romantic.
As you know for sure, he said goodbye to the fashion world in 2007. 2009 he designed the costumes for the New Year's concert in Vienna. Remember the dresses? They were so wonderful...

Like out of a fairy tale somehow. But a little bit cheesy. Kitsch. But it's okay for a ballet I guess. In motion the dresses looked great.
But of course Valentino is famous for his Valentino Red:

Valentino on his las Haute Couture show

Some of his greatest dresses worn by the stars:

"The moment in which the vintage mania was born" - he comments on that dress

made for Audrey Hepburn

worn by Jackie Kennedy

Those pictures are from a retrospective of Valentino that was shown in Rome. Wish I was there.
Now I think still Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are the creative directors, aren't they? Facchinetti didn't last long.
A little view on the Ready to wear collection, my fav pieces:

Nice, but somehow it lacks something.
Views on Valentino's own last ready to wear collection from 2007:

And that was just ready to wear! Really, I like the new collection, especially the Haute Couture things spring 2011. Take a look at the collection. The designers made really inspirational things. But somehow especially the ready to wear collections lack something. The elegance, the pomp. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But at the Couture shows they are really representing Valentino's "relief" very well.