Milan fashion this week has been like the Tower of Babel. In Italy designers normally speak one language when it comes to key trends, but this season they are speaking in many different tongues and it is not clear what they are trying to say.
Everyone is thoroughly confused. We have had butch chic, girly sex-kittens, senoritas and gladiators. Historical references have run the gamut from Grace Kelly 1950s resort wear to Azzedine Alaia's body-hugging silhouettes of the 1980s.
As the collections draw to a close we can reflect on the shows that have lifted the spirit, and those that have disappointed. The gentle innocent charm of Marni with its pretty, printed coats and 1950s-style sundresses trimmed with a bow, a frill or a corsage was a high point.
The 1950s look was a winner all round, whether as the girly Grace Kelly sun dresses of Blumarine or the sweet, high-waisted chiffon dresses of Alberta Ferretti, scissored and stitched together in an intricate jigsaw of pattern pieces.
For the glam diva look, Dolce & Gabbana was the outright winner with spray-tight jeans, jewelled coats and sexy executive tailoring. However, Missoni ran a close second with its vibrant zig-zag knit-wrap dresses and geometric chiffon blouses.
Bold patterns and body-hugging silhouettes are what we come to expect of Milan, especially from the likes of Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli, but it was a welcome surprise to see it at Missoni.
Prada and its sister label, Miu Miu, were a surprising disappointment, especially after a few seasons of sweet romanticism. Miu Miu, shown yesterday at the end of Milan fashion week, was as sombre and gloomy as Prada at the beginning.
Prada could be excused for choosing a stormy colour palette to emphasise the brightness of the shoes, but Miu Miu's vaguely militaristic shirts and shorts with large swagged pouch pockets will do nothing for a woman's figure. Dark mohair sweaters brought the audience out in a heat rash.
In lighter moments Miuccia Prada offered a few 1950s-style dresses with full skirts sprouting from a high waistline, but this was not vintage stuff.
What was, however, were the bright geometric prints from Pucci, a label founded in the 1960s and which included Marilyn Monroe among its devotees. Pucci is enjoying a phenomenal revival, and its wonderful swirly patterns have sparked a host of imitations this winter.
Bold geometric prints, like tribal markings, were also the message at Gianfranco Ferre, whose models came down the catwalk looking like African tribal queens.
The collection, ranging from graphic black-and-white patterned tailoring to bold ethnic-printed silks, bunched and draped like great ball skirts, was one of the best of Milan fashion week.