“High hems, bare limbs hallmarks of spring/summer show in Milan”

High hems, bare limbs hallmarks of spring/summer show in Milan

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 09:10 AM PDT

Giorgio Armani let the body do the talking at Milan Fashion Week, with his spring/summer 2010 collection using bold linear cuts to set off bare shoulders and legs.

Hemlines are high, day and night, on chic and sometimes playful creations in his trademark sumptuous solids of blue, green and new "low-voltage" reds and worn with flats, quite a rarity on the catwalks.

"Body art," he says, "is a form of physical language, a fusion of performance and gesture, movement that displays an attitude and unleashes creativity."

An off-the-shoulder motif ran through the show, while some of the creations for evening exposed the back and large swaths of the front. Playful highlights included peek-a-boo cut-outs, geometric appliques and slit skirts revealing short shorts.

Returning to Milan after recovering from hepatitis, Armani, 75, looked thinner but at ease as he posed with his models after the show.

Blumarine's body-clinging stretch cotton knits use a tie-dye effect to merge red into yellow into blue-green or myriad other combinations. Bold-coloured or fluorescent accessories literally extend from top to toe, from ear cuffs to belts to ballet flats, in the ready-to-wear collection.

From naughty in micro-shorts and minidresses worn braless, to nice in a demure, cardigan-style top, the knits gave way to flouncy dresses and caftans in tabby silk for a carefree, youthful look. Also for the evening are green camouflage gowns with fluorescent flashes and random rhinestone trims.

Ferretti toned it way down, proposing neutrals and faded peach or lilac in her flowing babydoll dresses or simple shifts. White linen creations --here a coat dress, there a neat belted jacket--were equally demure, and a large white scarf pulled over a hat completed the sense of nostalgia.

Miuccia Prada showed lots of leg as well, often flowing as a seeming afterthought from tight briefs or shorts under more eye-catching tops wrapped in wide jackets or capes.

Moschino Cheap and Chic offered up a feast of frivolity, proposing straw hats with oversized white petals for a brim, sassy shorts and layer upon layer of ruffles--even on an applique goose stitched to the front of a blouse.

Features are oversized, but not clownish: big white polka dots on black short shorts, the word "peace" writ large over a chiffon top, or thumbnail-sized sequins trimming a black jacket over pink shorts.

One bare shoulder sports an oversized bow while the other is draped with a balloon sleeve; polka-dot short shorts are topped with a white tunic or voluminous blouse cinched with a red belt.

To add to the fun, how about a tuxedo minidress or a Technicolor mummy look, with loose strips floating in the spring air?

If Wall Street still blanches at demands for more transparency, Antonio Marras was all for it, with diaphanous floral creations seeming to float over his models like a dream.

Many revealed undergarments that were strangely pedestrian, something your Aunt Mildred might wear.

Straw hats with light-blue rose trims evoked summer bliss, while satin shorts with cuffs in solid burgundy or turquoise emanated nonchalance.

Just Cavalli combined see-through effects with a bit of punk, recalling Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan with pointy bras sported on the outside.

Jean jackets get a makeover with satin or cotton linings, and fringes are everywhere, whether on a biker's jacket or a dinner jacket, handbags or shoes--or even a revisited Charleston-era frock.

Blugirl, too, had anything but the recession blues as models displaying Anna Molinari's youth-oriented line paraded with great white bows in their hair and tops emblazoned with red flowers or the words "I Love You" in big red letters.

D&G, the youth line of Milan duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, evokes the sea air with a marine theme of blue and white stripes accented with big red anchors.

Milan Fashion Week ends Wednesday.