Corrie Nielson SS13 collection from London Fashion Week

Yves Saint Laurent innovations include the female tuxedo and beatnik black, but the label’s biggest legacy was making it acceptable for women to wear trousers.

Italian designer Valentino Garavani has shaped haute couture fashion for five decades.

Versace has survived a tragedy – the murder of its founder Gianni Versace in 1997 – to establish itself as one of the world's leading fashion houses.

Flamboyant fashion house Dolce & Gabbana favours bright colours, clashing patterns and animal prints - sometimes all at once.

Giorgio Armani has been acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy.

The Calvin Klein label blurs the distinction between masculine and feminine fashions with clean lines, neutral colours and no fussy adornments.