Italian Fashion Milan Spring Fashions

Continuing from the first part on Milan Fashion Week Sep 2009, Lifeinitaly brings you a look at a few more designers from the ramps of Milan.

Cavalli at Milan Fashion

Cavalli has a history of dressing women with overt, sexual glamour, usually attention seekers who like to heap on the bling. These divas catapulted him to international fame, all dolled up in tight, raunchy clothing and animal prints.

But over the last few seasons, Cavalli has softened that image, made his girls more feminine, approachable.

For Spring 2010, however, he seems to have overdone it a little, going for floral-printed sack dresses teamed with boxy pinstripe jackets and hipster trousers from which the waistbands of boxer shorts peeked through. Very reminiscent of Gautier and Marc Jacobs, hardly Cavalli blue-blood.

Roberto Cavalli labeled it a call to a simpler lifestyle, but given the profile of his clientele, one wonders who would buy his trompe l'oeil apron dresses with calico florals in front and sheer black chiffon at the back.

Nightlife-loving city girls would be happier with his evening gowns, with their fitted, assymetrical cuts and flared hems.

Not high octane sexy, but more Cavalli. It remains to be seen if Cavalli's move from diva to demure would work the cash registers at boutiques around the world.

Dsquared² at Milan Fashion

When you go to a Dsquared² fashion show, you expect a spectacle. Dean and Dan Caten, the designer twins behind the brand, did not disappoint this season either. Their ramp revealed a camping scene: tents, chandeliers, mirrors, trees, they had it all. Despite their Canadian origin, this duo has spent a lot of time working at Versace and Diesel, and it shows.

Models strutted down the catwalk in t-shirts, cut-offs, embellished jeans jackets, transparent poncho raincoats worn over bikinis and so on, in a literal interpretation of this brand's hallmark: outdoorsy chic.

But they quickly moved on from casual glam to witty, sexy clothes that actually populate the Dsquared² outlets: ball gowns made from picnic blankets, naughty prom dresses complete with glittery insect brooches, and a few scrumptious little black jackets and dresses.

The Catens have presented yet another Spring collection meant for young, hip, body-conscious types.

For D & G, Domenico and Stefano took the cowboy theme and interepreted it interms of their sexy staples: leggy pants, boyfriend jeans sprinkled with holes, skirts with scandalously short hemlines,tiered maxi skirts, lacey blouses, unbuttoned denim snap-front shirts and corset tops. Also some cropped, cuffed pants, suede, denim and a lot of eyelets in a nod to the general Spring 2010 Milan trends.

When it came to the really upmarket and grown-up Dolce e Gabbana, the designer duo went back to their starting heydays in the nineties.

With no runway and lots of light focused on the presentation, the Spring 2010 Dolce e Gabbana collection came into its own, the brand's signature mannish tailoring and lingerie inspirations firmly in the limelight. Lots of lace, chintzes, and macrame' completed the come-hither look that first made Dolce e Gabbana a celeb favorite.

Fendi at Milan Fashion

Karl Lagerfield took Fendi in a muted, understated direction this Spring in a collection mostly tinted beige, ecru, ivory, and other pastel shades. Parisian lingerie seemed to be a major inspiration, and the models walked down clad in silky romper suits, slips and knickers, all trimmed with an abundance of lace.

Fendi craftsmanship was the subtle yet definite winner. Devore appliques, needlepoint, and embroidery all came together in Lagerfield's work on fragile tulle and lace.

The look was saved from descending into the realm of cliche' because Fendi balanced out the decorative work with a few raw edges and unfinished hems, all done to give a modern, commercial edge to the collection.

Ferragamo at Milan Fashion

Spring 2010 was Cristina Oritz's last season with the house of Ferragamo, and she stuck to her theme of modern and architectural silhouettes that had been her signature in the past year.