DALLAS, Jan 4, 2005/ FW/ --- Last Saturday in Paris, couturier Emanuel Ungaro gained entry to France’s Legion of Honor when he was name a knight, the first of five ranks in the accolade recognizing distinguished service to France.

The son of a tailor, Emanuel Ungaro mastered his cutting techniques at his father's workshop, trained under Balenciaga to become one of the top rated couturier in Paris.

Emanuel Ungaro's designs are the sum of his training and his dreams. After mastering the skills of his trade, he started to experiment with textures and prints, an unknown during the 1970s, in fact; it was almost a taboo.

But Ungaro wanted something different for the women whom he dresses. The Ungaro woman is sexy, but not vulgar, and in his own words, "seductive." In short, Emanuel Ungaro was thinking of sex appeal even before it became a buzzword in fashion.

His continued success (he has been in fashion for almost 50 years) can be attributed to his never losing his focus on what he wants to achieve in his designs.

A member of the 150-year old Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, France’s governing body for the made-to-measure craft, Emanuel Ungaro bowed out from the starry spheres of fashion last season.

The ready-to-wear division of his eponymous fashion house continues to show its collections in Paris during the pręt-a-porter season.