Giambattista Valli

A celebrity beacon for unrivalled red-carpet glamour, Giambattista Valli founded his namesake label in 2005, showing in Paris for the first time following stints at Fendi and Emanuel Ungaro. Creating elegant gowns worn by everyone from Keira Knightley and Diane Kruger to Rihanna, the label is defined by its unashamedly-feminine style, flitting between romantically-effervescent evening dresses and vampy after-dark looks inspired by subjects as diverse as books about Japan and ballet dancer Nureyev’s apartment to Kurt Cobain and lilies. Translating to a rich ready-to-wear aesthetic boasting a cocktail of prints and elegant, embellished detailing, Giambattista Valli’s love of opposites – “very strict suits, for example, next to frothy, corseted dresses” – informs collections with a sense of occasion that is often missing from the everyday.