NYC Ballet to celebrate Valentino Legendary couturier Valentino Garavani is creating the costumes for the New York City Ballet's special Fall Gala. While most in Italy are up in arms about Premier Mario Monti's decision to raise the national retirement age, one Italian octogenarian shows no sign of wanting to put his feet up and spending afternoons dozing in front of 'Cash in the Attic'. New York City Ballet has announced that its Fall 2012 Gala on September 20 will feature a special one-time-only celebration of legendary couturier Valentino Garavani. Valentino, who turned 80 last month, is busy creating costumes for three works by NYCB Ballet Master in Chief, Peter Martins, including a new ballet set to Tschaikovsky's Eugene Onegin , and two rarely performed pieces created for NYCB's 1988 American Music Festival - Sophisticated Lady (which is set to music by Duke Ellington) and Not My Girl , a pas de deux inspired by, and set to music composed by Fred Astaire. In addition, as a tribute to the designer's signature 'Valentino Red', New York City Ballet will perform George Balanchine's Rubies , the second section of the full-length Jewels, which is set to Igor Stravinsky's Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. Valentino founded his eponymous fashion house in the late 1950s with his long term partner Giancarlo Giammetti and quickly established a reputation for dressing the world's most glamorous women including Jackie O, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. Despite bowing out of design duties at his label in January 2008, his diary has remained packed with work commitments including a commission to design costumes for the Vienna Ballet in 2009, and launching the Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum in 2011. Valentino's great friend - and New York City Ballet supporter - Sarah Jessica Parker is co-chairing the event too, so the designer had better be sure to leave time to create a fittingly spectacular costume for her arrival too. For more information or to book tickets, visit nycballet.com