Viva Valentino! Stars paint the town red for designer's three-day party

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And this weekend, Valentino held a three-day party in Rome to celebrate 45 years of creating the best red carpet gowns in the business.

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Sienna Miller, at last looking the beauty she really is, in a fitted jersey Valentino red dress with feather bustle

Real royalty - Princess Caroline of Monaco, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece - as well as fashion royalty - Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Elle Macpherson - flocked to Rome to take part in the festivities.

They included a "dinner" (I use that word lightly; I doubt anyone ordered pasta) in a recreation of the Temple of Venus, plus the presentation of his haute couture collection for autumn/winter 2007-8.

It was his best yet; a succession of duchesse satin, jewel-coloured columns with intricate beading and embroidery, potential Oscar gowns all. And a ball for 890.

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Anne Hathaway (left), making the most of her voluptuous figure in a backless halterneck gown, Joan Collins looks marvellous in a red off-the-shoulder number

Valentino has dressed so many female stars for their red carpet moments over the past five decades that it is hard to pick out outstanding moments, but I would nominate a "Val" turquoise satin one-shouldered dress with beading that he made for Jackie Kennedy, a "Valentino red" cocktail dress for the socialite CZ Guest (in a unique shade only he knows the formula of), and a short black velvet cocktail prom worn by Kate Winslet for the premiere of her film The Holiday last year.

These dresses and almost 300 more have been collected in an unmissable retrospective, on show in Rome but which will hopefully go on tour soon.

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I would like to have seen Liz Hurley (left) in something a little less predictable. But no matter - she looks beautiful and shapely, Claudia Schiffer in a shot silk taffeta trademark Valentino red gown with ribbon tie

Gosh, Elle Macpherson's body has never been shown to better effect, in a lace and satin sheath, Uma Thurman, statuesque in a pale rose column of ruffles and lace, Sarah Jessica Parker looks grown up and sophisticated in a black silk jersey gown with train