Despite the fall - yet again - of an Italian government last Friday and an ongoing sense that far eastern economies are on the brink of collapse, fashion remains a crucial commodity for the city of Milan. In fact, no fear of financial crises could ever hope to ruffle the feather trims or crease the perfectly ironed trousers that personify Italy's attitude towards its clothing industry. So, while so-called Cool Britannia persists in making merry with a couple of sewing machines and some rather good ideas, Italy is busy generating billions of lira with designs unlikely to revolutionise fashion but with a degree of quality and commerciality that make it the envy of the rest of Europe and the United States.
That said, there were some moments of refreshing creativity on the Milan catwalks this week, helping to compensate for a season which revolved around Low Impact Fashion - the kind of clothes which would never scream their origins with bold logos or insignia (even Versace has all but dropped its trademark Medusa head) yet which offer the consumer a product of inimitable quality and safe good taste. Because Milanese fashion has more to do with refinement than innovation, the key items emerging will therefore have a profound effect on what we will be wearing next summer.
At Prada and its younger sister Miu Miu, the core theme was the concept of fashion as function, thanks to a the appearance of quasi-bags - half garment/half hold-all - that resembled bullet-proof vests, and looked the sort of item which might be worn by someone who is both an outdoor enthusiast and a member of the NYPD. Both collections pushed the new Prada Sport concept to the limit, putting heavy emphasis on the cheaper, more versatile line in a wide range of boldly-coloured simple nylon pieces. Interestingly, among the assembled fashion pack, this season's must-have was the Prada Sport shoe which is both trainer and slip-on executed in black leather with a sneaker sole - plus a conspicuous red flash at the back of the heel making it not just the height of chic but also instantly identifiable to fellow fans.
If Prada promoted accessories, combinations of fabric played a leading role in every Milan collection, most notably in the layers of tulle that shrouded garments as diverse as the deconstructed prom gowns at Anna Molinari and the chic Chinese peasant-wear shown by Giorgio Armani. The peasants would no doubt have been thrilled with an impromptu double-layered mosquito net worn over trousers, skirts and beaded evening gowns.
Other contrasts focused on synthetic versus organic fabrics. Jil Sander boasted of her pure rayon jackets woven with a metallic thread to produce a stiff and shiny silhouette, while Versace contrasted chain-mail with a layer of felted angora that resembled the contents of a split vacuum cleaner bag clinging to the body as if by static electricity.
At Versus, Byblos and virtually every other name worth mentioning, the new erogenous zone was the back, so forget about wearing a bra next summer as cowl necks, draperies and miniscule shrunken cardigans skimmed the shoulder blades to expose an area of flesh long hidden from public view. Liable to achieve greater popularity among the modest-minded is a new definition of the waist, one that moves its attention below the hips with a low, gathered band at Alberta Ferretti and wide Obi-style sashes at Versus. If all this seems a mite worrying, then fear not. Milan will always offer commercial variations on the most extreme looks to ensure it remains at the heart of fashion's balance sheet.
Easier pieces for next spring/summer include a proliferation of hand-knits just like granny used to make, and the continuing popularity of the long pleated skirt, now more complex and intricate in style but essentially still a pretty and easy item to wear. Possibly the most welcome surprise of the week was found at Gucci, which has shown extreme sobriety in past seasons thanks to collections looking like mere backdrops for an extensive range of accessories. (However, worth noting as meriting a prize for most ridiculous accessory of the week: Gucci handcuffs).
Anticipating another all-black collection, the audience was assailed instead with a trailer trash blend of styles encompassing rainbow children of the late 1960s and the tacky charm - if that is the right word - of a Long Island caravan park. Dresses here were served up in blends of kitsch kitchen curtain prints, skirts came with elasticated waists and canvas handbags in primary colours showed a much-appreciated sense of fun from Gucci's American designer Tom Ford; Sonny and Cher would have been proud.
At Versace, Donatella continued the now-familiar theme of exuberant vulgarity as former grunge princess Courtney Love nodded along to the music in a bordello-like atmosphere which had the audience reclining on midnight blue satin cushions around the neon and glass catwalk on a floor sparkling with a truckload of dyed sand. As the words, "Welcome to the Versace Dome" echoed through the intimate setting, Kate Moss (in dyed pink hair shocker!), Naomi Campbell and friends paraded an extensive array of softly draped say and evening dresses in coconut ice shades of pale lemon, aqua and the omnipresent pink.
Still in disco diva mode, Dolce & Gabbana showed a collection packed to the gills - actually, another of this season's leitmotifs was sardine prints - with sexy, wearable summer essentials that have the ability to make any woman feel voluptuous. As ever, the corset provided a mainstay of the show, interpreted as bustier trouser suits and hourglass dresses, teamed with narrow-cut opera coats with stand-away collars.
Already the fashion tribe has moved on to Paris for the next leg of its twice-yearly odyssey, leaving Milan's shops stripped of their designer goodies. Even in a safe season, there were some notable highlights and this is what Italy has always managed to do best; offer the reliable with just enough edge to avoid blandness. Whether the choice is a plain cashmere V-neck sweater or a hand-painted Dolce & Gabbana evening gown, Milan continues to create clothing which will appeal to more than merely a handful of stylists. Thanks to the power of the consumer, in Italy commerciality will never be considered a dirty word.
