Paris Haute Couture: Giambattista Valli autumn/winter 2011

Giambattista Valli Haute
Couture autumn/winter 2011

The Roman-born designer who dresses Queen Rania, Penelope Cruz, Victoria Beckham, and is responsible for reviving the puffball skirt and glamorous ski bunny look with his reassuringly expensive Moncler Gamme Rouge padded jackets, conquered Paris much in the same way as his ancient Roman ancestors last night. prom dresses 2011

The Italian, who trained with fashion legends Emanuel Ungaro and Roberto Capucci, pulled off an astonishing haute couture debut showing 45 perfectly formed day and eveningwear garments with the ease of someone twice his age and experience.

Watched by a posse of gorgeous 'it' girls - Caroline Sieber, Astrid Munoz and Olivia Palermo - who crammed into the Galerie de la Madeleine, in the rue Boissy d'Anglas, wearing new season autumn/winter 2011 wool mini dresses despite the blistering heat, Valli treated his audience to a fashion feast of unadulterated glamour.

Many Valli signatures were here, including winter white caped jackets and Dolce Vita ballerina-length chiffon dresses in vintage shades of rich magenta and coral, translated into unmistakably couture fabrics with dazzling effect.

Although this designer has dabbled with demi and semi couture in the past, both in Fifties feel and textiles, the confidence and clarity with which Valli showed in this show will ensure him entry into the big brand superleague of designers in the very near future we feel.

His day and eveningwear contained so much workmanship much of it produced it's own 'sound-effects' audible over the Vivaldi-esque soundtrack playing in the long, thin chapel like venue.

Real coral and sequin-encrusted jackets jangled. Jet and crystal beads crunched. Tiny lily of the valley petal petals quivered just like real flowers.

As well as an evening section that harked back to an age when women dressed for formal evening functions which required long, gowns with matching cloaks, he offered power-suits brimming with his particular take on maximal minimalism. Lurex tweed was encrusted with crystal and jet and ostrich feathers and one stretch georgette crepe dress contained three prints in leopard, ocelot and jaguar, as well as being embroidered with pheasant features. prom dresses under 100

Following a rapturous finale, Anna Wintour, was rushed backstage to personally congratulate the newbie couture star. Quite right too.