With the propensity for corsetry and sheer fabrics on the catwalks this week, it was no surprise that Dolce & Gabbana, the pioneers of this style for more than 20 years, reclaimed the look as their own to provide the highlight of Milan Fashion Week.
Appearing on catwalks everywhere from Gucci to Versace, the new mood of exposure with sheer fabrics, underwear as outerwear and cut-outs has been the main trend to emerge for next summer.
Reverting to the brand's core DNA, after an Elsa Schiaparelli - referenced collection last season that used billowing leg-of-mutton sleeves and surrealist hats made from gloves, the Dolce & Gabbana show on Sunday saw the designers playing up their strong points featuring signature corsets, pencil skirts and elaborate lace in black and white with flashes of floral silk.
The theme of the show was a "tribute to the Sicilian way of life" and this collection saw models alternately dressed as modern matadors complete with shoelace ties, short hair, black jodhpurs, white shirts, cropped jackets and loafers or sexy Sicilian widows living the Dolce Vita with tumbling bed hair pinned up with crystal barrettes, and squeezed into black lace corsets and bras. These were clothes that celebrated the hourglass figure, even if none of the models necessarily had them.
"The idea was to provoke sensuality," Stefano Gabbana said of the collection.
Taking inspiration from the boudoir, the pair turned up the heat with crochet designs that exposed traditional bodices and corsets beneath. Bra straps peeked out from the top of dresses and lace crept from hemlines of super short minis. Cardigans were knotted under the bust to emphasise nipped in waists. Knee length and long sleeved lace dresses were worn sheer over black body stockings as though the model was caught halfway through getting dressed. Clashing satin floral prints were teamed together with blouses tucked into shorts, bodycon tops were cutaway at the front to reveal bras and a red leopard print frilled flamenco dress was slashed to the thigh at the front and tied with a man's silk scarf around the waist.
The finale was a march of the bodices as dresses were whipped away to reveal 1950s style shape wear underneath.
This confident and deftly accomplished mix of masculine tailoring with feminine corsetry and shape ensured that overall the show achieved a modern reinterpretation of the Dolce & Gabbana woman while remaining rooted in the timeless elegance of earlier decades.
Marni: Dressing up looks easy
From the layered styles held together by a striped knitted belt with matching striped leggings to the upbeat flowers, checks and polka dots of the prints, Marni's latest collection is all about a laid-back summer 2010.
Like many collections presented during the current Milan fashion week, the outfits are feather light, and each piece can be worn individually from the sporty shorts to the shirt-dresses to the dustcoats. True to designer Consuelo Castiglione's style the clothes take on the personality of the woman who wears them whether they are casual jersey trousers or elegant silk jackets.
Shoes for next season, worn on the runway with ankle socks, include suede sandals with a small heel, loafers, and wedges made out of light resin. Huge petal earrings, wraparound sunglasses and a printed silk head scarf complete the seemingly effortless look.
Fendi: Deja vu
There is a feel of yesteryear at Fendi, as if someone had opened Grandma's trousseau trunk and wrapped each item in light gauze for protection. Everything from the old-fashioned bras and panties to bubble skirts, shorts and even the high-heeled shoes is covered in a thin veil, lending an ethereal effect to the new spring-summer collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld.
Moreover many of the outfits have a frayed look, with unfinished seaming and off-white or black colours which add to the "once upon a time" feel. And yet the collection is also ultra modern with a brand new shirtwaist made up of shorts and a shirttail back, and the latest Fendi bag with its exchangeable surfaces.
The many-bags-in-one is sure to be a success in these times of tight purse strings. The simple leather bag comes with little "aprons" ranging from linen to intricately embroidered fabric, in various colours. For nighttime, the bag has a satin cover reminiscent of the pouches Grandma used for putting away her silk stockings.
