Versace slinks into Paris for the spring

The undisputed king of slinky evening dressing opened the Paris spring and summer couture shows yesterday with a mix of the tasteful and the garish, the colours clashing on wildly-patterned sequined dresses, writes Tamsin Blanchard.

Italian designer Versace is a master of jet-set glitz and his clients will be ordering from a selection of evening dresses with antique diamante brooches attached to the straps and cardigans beaded with jewels. Nevertheless, the designer set the trend with floaty fabrics, delicate florals and a romantic sensibility.

Couture is about selling a brand name, which in turn sells millions of dollars worth of fragrances, sunglasses and scarves. This year, Dior and Givenchy are on to a winning streak thanks to the debut collections of two British designers - Galliano at Dior and Alexander McQueen, with his first haute couture collection for Givenchy.