all grown up; Giambattista Valli transitions from ethnic-sexy party dresses (at Ungaro) to his own elegant, demure line.

Byline: Hamish Bowles

Giambattista Valli's airy Paris studio is a creative jumble of vintage couture, ethnic costume, and images of his current passions-the iconic French writer Marguerite Yourcenar, the paintings of Francis Bacon, the fifties embroideries of Balenciaga. The designer's moon-eyed portrait by his friend Francesco Clemente surveys the scene.

Valli, now in his second season designing his own label, made his debut in the fashion world two decades ago, when he went to work as a public-

relations assistant to fellow Roman Roberto Capucci, the maverick couturier whose unique, armorial creations are like fabric sculptures. "Capucci, the atelier, was all about trying to defy gravity!" says Valli, who has paid homage to the master's extravagance with a bravura dress whose acreage of silk is whipped into a dramatic side sweep (above, on the mannequin).

From there, Valli went to work on the Fendissime line for the Fendis, where he was thrilled to be "in contact with the universe of Karl Lagerfeld," addressing the lives of his youthful contemporaries. A brief stint in Milan at Krizia followed before Valli went to Paris to work with Emanuel Ungaro. "At Ungaro," he says, "I discovered the flou"-soft drapery-"atelier and the language of Paris."

Valli eventually assumed direction of Ungaro's ready-to-wear lines, making a name for himself with sexy, vibrant clothes that set hippie ethnicity to a disco beat. "At ...