Fashion's heavy hitters came out to play last week in Milan. My three favourite designers didn’t disappoint and their collections were a veritable treasure trove of beautiful clothing full of inspiration for the upcoming season. 

Gucci 

Now that half of the shows in Milan have overtones of  past creations invented by Alessandro Michele at Gucci, it’s a relief to see the designer has an endless source of tricks up his quirky little sleeves. His mood for Gucci is still quirky chic, the beat still odd-ball, luxe Bohemian but somehow, it all still manages to look different. 

And every season, as each new collection is crafted, it seems to get increasingly elaborate and beautifully embroidered. This collection  was featured in a show space filled with curved, tufted pink velvet banquettes, walls festooned with a mosaic of pink mirrored squares, and curtains of more pink mirrors bisecting the runway — the whole thing bathed in a rose-tinted light. 

This season’s play with colour blocking had a distinctively 1970s feel: pink  pants with lavender jackets. There were flowing Titania organza gowns and gold disco trousers bristling with ruffles,warm tobacco pants paired with a mint turtleneck, coupled with chinoiseries, patchworks and embroideries. A haunted schoolgirl tulle party dresses with puffed sleeves and boxy schoolmarm brocade suit. There were yellow furs with leaping zebras and spiked acid-washed denim; snakes and tigers and turbans and satin baseball shirt suits embroidered with poppies on the front and team “Modern” on the back. Rhinestone shades and platform shoes and decorative brass knuckles spelling “Love” and — well, a lot more. 

It gave us yet another fashion fest with a capital F, for full-on. 

Dolce & Gabbana 

How to sell to millenials has become something of a preoccupation for corporations, be they Apple or ASOS. Dolce & Gabbana’s tactic is to turn a t model based on selling artisanal craftsmanship to one that creates experiences - and invite everyone to watch. The Dolce and Gabanna instagram page ( for days before the show) was dedicated to the “it millenials” who were front row at the show.   Cocktails and dreams — Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce unveil their club Tropico Italiano. 

The southern-Italian flavoured “Tropico” show explored the fantasy of the quintessential riviera holiday, taking the region between Sicily and Naples as inspiration and filling the collection with a host of treats: cocktail- and gelato-print sundresses, religious embroideries and iconic headpieces, drummer jackets and mandolin-shaped bags. (There was also a troupe of street dancers employed to set the scene.) 

In truth, there was no huge diversion from the themes of so many Dolce & Gabbana collections past as Gabbana no longer believes in trends. Amidst the pasta prints were the delectable Dolce must haves.pinstripe trouser suits with frock-coats,  brocade mules, white lace skirt and top co-ords and a battalion of dresses, from the fitted and fishtail hemmed to the 1960s shifts. The models took the finale in winking, glinting tiaras, pool shoes and T-shirts emblazoned with the words: “D&G SS17 — I was there”. The idea was inspired by the many, many fake D&G T-shirts the pair have spotted on their travels. The slogan had been translated into nearly every language, and given its own stamp of authenticity, “#lacopiavera”, along its seam. 

Real, imagined, fake or honest, Tropicano Italiano looks like an amazing place to visit. Funds permitting I want to head there for SS 17! 

PRADA 

Prada made a return to prettiness and elegance for SS 17. Beautiful though so many other collections have been through this Fashion Week, I can imagine that some would tire of too many textural contrasts, pattern clashes, layers of embellishment, and general extremes. By contrast, Prada was simple, accessible, and above all wearable. 

The clothes were as bright as the backdrop was grey and seemed to be a very clear reaction to dark times that Prada have faced with a recent  plunge in profit. 

Miuccia Prada produced a line-up of pretty, intelligent, simple clothes to love and wear for work and play:  blouses, trousers, skirts, dresses and coats in slightly vintage, 1940s shapes and a mix of pop type graphics and pastels — all trimmed in fluffy marabou. There's something really grand and chic about the idea of wearing feathers — they seem more suited to costumes rather than actually real life dressing but the SS 17 season has been showing some very appealing options that make you want to wear marabou everywhere. These are clothes you can put on and feel attractive in. 

Flat shoes. Yes, flat. Our feet thank you, thank you, thank you. The models for the most part walked in sensible flats, wearable height platform sandals, and proper kitten height heels. 

Simplicity ruled for clothing and the same is true for the all-important bags which are, after all, what this brand is hoping will pull it out of its nightmare profit scenario.
They were bi-colour carryalls with the zip extending into a trailing chunky ‘strap’ in a third colour, or envelope style, carried like oversized clutches with the elongated trailing central strap being the key design detail. The collection’s gently retro prints were repeated throughout, offering the Prada customer a compelling reason to update her existing bag.