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We asked Villa Moda designers to select a favourite look from theirAutumn/Winter 2006 collections and dedicate it to a movie star of their choice, from any country, in any era, and tell us why. Here are their choices, as eclectic

as their designs, and as revealing. The selection of looks and accessories are available at Villa Moda Dubai.

Illustrations by Zebby.

Gina Shoes was established in 1954 in London by master shoemaker Mehmet

Kurdash. His dream was to create glamorous, handmade shoes, and he named

the company after his muse, movie icon Gina Lollobrigida. Designing shoes had

been a family tradition since 1893, and today Mehmet’s sons Attila, Aydin and

Altan Kurdash create – by hand – the lasts and heels, using skills passed down from

generation to generation. The company’s patrons include Sophie Rhys-Jones, who

had her shoes made by Gina for her wedding to Prince Edward. Amongst

Gina’s public ambassadors are Catherine Zeta Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Britney Spears and Victoria Beckham. Gina says: ‘We dedicate these shoes to

Gina Lollobrigida because she epitomises the Gina look: elegant, curvaceous,

glamorous and sexy.’

From Gina toGina Lollobrigida

Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni is known for dressing women who know their own styles and who have minds of their own. Of this painted skirt and simple blouse from her Autumn/Winter 2006 collection, Castiglioni says: ‘I would like to dedicate this look to Audrey Tautou. I really loved her in the film Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001). She follows the concept of mixing and matching, choosing a very feminine style. I see her character in the movie as a woman who enjoys playing with her imagination, who dares to combine prints and colours in an unexpected and individual way.’

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From Marni to Audrey Tautou

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Dries Van Noten will always be known as one of the ‘Atwerp Six’, who studied at the Antwerp Fashion Acedemy and graduated to much acclaim. Six Belgians – Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dirk van Saen, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee – plus, of course, Van Noten himself – took part in a fashion show in London in 1986 which was the springboard for their individually succesful fashion careers. Van Noten comes from a family of tailors, and today produces four collections a year (two men’s and two women’s). He is celebrated for his creative prints, earthy colours and original fabrics and layering. His first shop in Antwerp, Het Modepaleis, is an homage to the distinctive Van Noten style. He has dedicated this dress to Rachel Weisz: ‘Rachel is classic but elegant, with a modern edge. She is not only beautiful but has a great sense of personal style. She is someone who always looks striking and elegant. Her style is so natural, which to me makes her all the more alluring and interesting.’

From Dries Van Notento Rachel Weisz

Anna Molinari is the creative visionary behind Blumarine, a label

named for her love of the ocean. She founded the label with her husband Gianpaolo Tarabini in 1977 in their

native Carpi, Italy. Over almost three decades, Blumarine has grown to become

one of the most coveted fashion brands in the world, and is famous for its artistic collaborations (through photographic ad campaigns) with Albert Watson, Helmut

Newton, Ellen von Unwerth, and Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. Blumarine also gave birth to other lines,

Blugirl, and Anna Molinari, both of which are now run by Molinari and her

two children Rosella and Gianguido. Molinari was inspired by the film

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). She says: ‘This piece is the Audrey style: elegant

and sophisticated.’

From Blumarine toAudrey Hepburn

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What do Chloë Sevigny, Kim Basinger, Linda Evangelista, Madonna and Joan Collins all have in common? They’re just some of the glamorous women who wear Erickson Beamon. Founded in New York by Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon, the jewellery house has come to offer a coveted international range of trinkets recently crowned with an exclusive range of diamonds. Erickson and Beamon are New York veterans of Studio 54 and Andy Warhol’s Factory, and their creative necklaces, rings and baubles are beautiful and quirky reminders of those hedonistic times when too much was never enough. Vicki Beamon says: ‘I am dedicating our Tory Birch Wooden Horse Group to Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet (1944). The group is composed of a horse motif in gold with lots of gold and wooden chain. It has giant wooden hearts in a chestnut colour, and is perfect for horse-loving women of all ages. Liz Taylor in the role of Velvet Brown is perfection. She is an extraordinary mix of innocence and beauty.’

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From Erickson Beamon to Elizabeth Taylor

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Since launching her design label only six years ago, Alice Temperley already counts many a Hollywood star amongst her loyal clientele. Sarah Jessica Parker, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron, Mischa Barton, Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley are all patrons and fans. Temperley specialised in fabric technology and print right from the start of her formal fashion training (which took place at London’s Central Saint Martin’s and Royal College of Art). For her, understanding these is essential to her creative process. Temperley says they enable the design process to originate from the fabric and work upwards. She began by designing one-off evening dresses for high-end boutiques, using her detailed

From Temperley to Grace Kelly

knowledge of fabric to create original pieces. She used multilayer printing techniques and treated fabric like canvas, crafting beautifully hand-worked dresses. Temperley was the official womenswear stylist for the 2005 BAFTAs and has most recently been nominated for the British Fashion Council Red Carpet Designer Award. Alice Temperley says: ‘The Hollywood Garland dress echoes the elegance and sophistication of Grace Kelly. Timeless luxury, it is encrusted in Swarovski crystals, a dress and jewellery in one.’

Vera Wang was a senior fashion editor for Vogue before working for Ralph Lauren as a design director for two years. In 1990 she opened her own salon in New York’s Carlyle Hotel, which featured her trademark bridal gowns. A former figure skater herself, Wang has designed costumes for professional skaters, but is particularly celebrated for her wedding gowns. Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Avril Lavigne and Victoria Beckham have all walked down the aisle wearing Wang. Over the past decade her brand has expanded into fragrance, jewellery, shoe and homeware collections. In June 2005, Wang was recognised by the Council of Fashion Designers as the US’s womenswear Designer of the Year; in May 2006 she was awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Vera Wang says: ‘This dress is reminiscent of Gwyneth Paltrow in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), in which she played the lead part of Jude Law’s cultured fiancée. Paltrow is so passionate and lovely, and is perfect as she embodies the character Marge’s – and her own – privilege, that the gown really speaks to her carefree elegance and sophistication.’

From Vera Wang to Gwyneth Paltrow

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Frances Scorah and Johnnie Pattullo met while working as buyers and discovered

a mutual passion for shoes. They teamed with emerging shoe designer Rikke Hjelde

Lambis in 2004 and launched their first collection of fresh, elegant and always-

feminine shoes. Their designs have subsequently been worn by Madonna, Thandie Newton, Minnie Driver and

Sienna Miller. Their Autumn/Winter 2006 collection has diverse influences ranging from the deep blue sea to the

stars in the sky, the English countryside and the glamour of the dance floor.

Scorah Pattullo says: ‘We often look to the silver screen for inspiration for our

glamorous collections. We would like to dedicate the Leta Shoe in gunmetal

glitter karung from our Autumn/Winter collection to the actress Katharine

Hepburn, a timeless symbol of elegance and a special style icon to all ladies who

wear trousers.’

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From Scorah Pattulloto Katharine Hepburn

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Australians Lydia Pearson and Pamela Easton are the design duo behind Easton

Pearson. They have been working with artisans in India for the past 15 years,

sourcing techniques to develop their own fabrics, which they then apply across the

four collections per year they create in Brisbane. They have a personal approach

to designing, and therefore to business, and have found themselves designing on

several occasions for people they know and admire. Easton and Pearson have chosen the Allonby Dress from their

Autumn/Winter 2006 collection and say: ‘We would like to dedicate it to Keira

Knightley for her cool, aristocratic chic.’

From Easton Pearson to Keira Knightley

From Matthew Williamson to Faye Dunaway

Since graduating from London’s Central St Martin’s in 1994 with a BA in Fashion Design and Printed Textiles, Matthew Williamson hasn’t looked back. His first job was working on a freelance design project with Marni, immediately after which he was employed by the British fashion companies Monsoon and Accessorize. Encouraged by a positive meeting with Vogue fashion writer Plum Sykes, Matthew created a small womenswear collection which resulted in a show comprising a mere 11 outfits. Jade Jagger, Helena Christensen and Kate Moss all agreed to model at this debut, and Williamson’s fashion career was born. Today he oversees his own brand, and in 2005 was appointed Creative Director at Emilio Pucci, the luxury Italian fashion house owned by LVMH. Williamson’s fans include Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kate Hudson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sienna Miller, who comments: ‘His clothes are always exquisitely beautiful, with a twist.’ Matthew Williamson chose this dress from his Autumn/Winter 2006 collection and says: ‘This look is dedicated to Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). The clean lines of this piece offset with tiered silk reflect the glamorous restraint and intoxicating intrigue of the film.’

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American-born Brian Atwood cut his fashion teeth on the runways as a model before Gianni Versace hired him as a designer in 1996. After a spell designing the Versus line, he rose through the ranks to become the company’s chief designer of women’s accessories. It was only short step away from his dream of launching his own-name shoe brand. Atwood has a penchant for sexy heels, and dedicates his Autumn/Winter 2006 shoes to Lindsay Lohan ‘because she represents the new young Hollywood jet-set! Just like Lindsay, these shoes are glamorous and a lot of fun at the same time. They look great dressed up with an amazing dress, or they look very cool with jeans.’

From Brian Atwood to Lindsay Lohan

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