FASHION: 28 September

Sex, money, glamour rule at Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana proved their love for showgirl exuberance on Thursday with a collection of aggressive black corset dresses, buttocks-hugging skirts and sequined gowns in the colors of the rainbow. A show that screamed sex and money entertained an audience that had felt mildly bored after a series of wearable, retro-inspired collections during Milan fashion week.  A metallic molded corset dress with exaggerated hips — think Marie Antoinette in the space age — and platform heels that caused several models to wobble dangerously were certainly not meant to be practical.  But there was at least one person in the room who was ready to wear Dolce & Gabbana’s crystal-encrusted, embroidered, swirly gowns with billowing sleeves: pop star Kylie Minogue.  “If there ever was an opportunity to wear these clothes it’s on stage.”  “Well, I need to control myself not to wear those kinds of things at a dinner party. But perhaps I shouldn’t show restraint and just wear it anyway, floating around in a pantsuit…the one from the show,” Minogue said in a backstage interview.  Tighter-than-tight mini-dresses, girded by wide patent leather belts, ended where the leg began and black pumps had a golden underside that flickered as models walked down the catwalk.  Bondage tops, plenty of patent leather and corsets paid homage to a fetish theme that had also dominated the show for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s D&G label on Monday.  Yet the sexual tension was relieved by some tongue-in-cheek outfits that played on Dolce & Gabbana’s soft spot for campness.  Dresses made of what looked like green, pink and orange gift-wrapping foil and disco princess gowns that were worn by models attempting to wave their arms in a dancerly fashion brought razzle-dazzle fun to fashion week.

Pucci parties by the pool with aquatic swirls
“Tone your legs, slap on the fake tan and get ready for the poolside,” was Pucci’s message on Thursday with a body-conscious collection of mini-dresses and micro-skirts in turquoise, aquatic blue and dabs of beach cocktail pink.  Designer Matthew Williamson took Pucci’s trademark 1960s swirly patterns and mixed them with his favorite palette of vibrant colors — pinks, blues and greens — for spring/summer 2007, creating an effect that referenced David Hockney’s swimming pool paintings.  “It’s fun, it’s young … it’s a like a pool party, everyone comes to the party and they all wear different dresses,” Williamson told reporters backstage after the show.  “Color is my thing, that’s what I love. I took prints from the archives and developed them in new ways, with new fabrics, new prints.  “We still use screen print but also digital print for a wider range of colors, and we covered some fabric with a special foil to give it a wet look,” he said.  Short tunic dresses worn with big plastic bangles in pop colors, plunging U-shaped necklines that stopped just above the navel and ruffled Miami Beach dresses in shock pink made for an exuberant show that went down well with Pucci’s clients.  Since Emilio Pucci started dressing the jet set in the 1960s, the fashion house has built a loyal customer base that buys its swirly prints season after season.  Women in easily recognizable Pucci dresses and tops dotted the front row at a packed show.  “I’ve been a Pucci fan for many years and have a big collection. This is fabulous, so fresh and cutting edge,” said Heather Kerzner, an American living in London who flew to Milan for the show.  Fittingly for a sunny pool party, the Pucci girls on the catwalk wore their hair sleeked back and showed toned thighs and tanned midriffs in halter-neck dresses, boat-neck dresses, backless dresses, almost frontless dresses, and plisse dresses – there was hardly a pair of trousers in sight.  The occasional legwear came in the form of sprayed-on printed leggings and pencil trousers. Mirrored wedge-heel shoes and silver pouches were a “tongue-in-cheek” play on accessories, Williamson said.  The Manchester-born designer took over as designer at Pucci, now owned by French luxury goods giant LVMH, in 2005.

Brown, brown, and more brown
If you haven’t noticed yet, brown is very hot right now. Chic and sophisticated like black–but for many people–less harsh, brown is definitely a colour you want in your wardrobe this season.  Whether it’s chocolate brown knee-high leather boots, a v-neck sweater, or a suede jacket, brown is definitely a colour you don’t want to be lacking for Fall/Winter 2006/2007.