Diaz 'dresses Like a Bag Lady'

He has dressed some of the world's most glamorous stars. But yesterday the Italian fashion legend Valentino made a surprise attack on the actors Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz, complaining they both looked like "bag ladies".

In an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit, the Italian designer said standards had slipped in recent years. "Today you see Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz running around looking unkempt in jogging trousers, they look like bag ladies, like homeless people," he said. "In the past, actresses had to commit in their contracts to appear in public like stars when they left their homes."

The designer harked back to the 60s when "women had less to do and looked after their appearance. They changed their outfits two or three times a day or had a complicated hairstyle," he said. "Rome in the 60s - that was the dolce vita."

Valentino Garavani, who made his name in the 1960s, produces collections for the Valentino fashion group, which was split from its former parent company, Marzotto, earlier this year.

The designer did at least have a good word to say about Britain. "I like London best of all at the moment," he said. "I like the mentality and the traditions."