Valentino Garavani

Who? Nicknamed 'The Sheikh of Chic', Valentino has dressed glamorous women for the past 40 years, including Elizabeth Taylor, Julia Roberts, Liz Hurley, Ashley Judd and many more. His fans, so-called 'Val's Gals', are usually wealthy women who parade their affluence with pride. The designer owns homes in Versailles, Rome, Capri, Tuscany, London, Gstaad and New York, placing him in the same exclusive circles as the celebrities he dresses.

How did it happen? Valentino Garavani was born on May 11, 1932, in Voghera, a town north of Milan. He studied at the Accademia dell'Arte in Milan and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He took an apprenticeship with Jean Desses in 1950, but left after five years to work with Guy Laroche. In 1959, Valentino started his own company in Rome. By 1965, he was known as the leading Italian haute couturier; three years later, Jacqueline Kennedy chose Valentino to design her wedding dress for her marriage to Aristotle Onassis. He added a menswear line and a fragrance, opened shops in Rome, Milan, New York and Tokyo, received several awards and designed the Italian athletes' uniforms for the 1984 Olympic Games before finally, in 1989, holding his debut haute couture show in Paris. In 1998, the House of Valentino was bought by HdP group (Holding di Partecipazioni Industriali).

What do the clothes look like? Valentino is famous for his show-stopping, floor-length satin and silk dresses. Red-carpet events wouldn't be complete without the glamorous gowns, often in his trademark colour, red.

What does the designer have to say? 'My clothing designs are not for shy people.'

Where are the clothes available? The pret-a-porter line, diffusion line Roma and jeans line Red Valentino are available at Chater House, Central, tel: 2523 8035. Couture dresses can be ordered from Rome (inquiries: 2317 7372).