Mix and melt

(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2008-09-27 18:18

"I loved the colors, (they were) really amazing," Owen says after the show, which ended with Armani walking to greet the line of obeisantly cross-legged male and female models facing him.

Italian designer Roberto Cavalli offered men's tops and trousers decorated with prints of pictures he had taken of an African sunset and overlapping palm leaves at his spring/summer 2009 show on Sunday.

Images of floral bouquets and animal prints also featured in his menswear collection, entitled Bohemian Safari, on the second day of Milan fashion week.

Cavalli, who also sent out female models in long, floating dresses - some with gold chain detailing hugging the frame - says he envisioned an extravagant man, an explorer, "a hippie and a nomad, who wears memories from a safari on himself".

"(Next summer's) man is very free," he says.

Colors were vivid with doses of white, dark brown, red, geranium and intense blue. Silhouettes were skinny on top and large at the bottom or the contrary. Kaftans and shirts with airy sleeves were paired with pyjama trousers or skinny printed jeans.

Cavalli catered for all temperatures, going from jumpers and thickish, holey scarves to tight colorful swimwear. Leather belts were tied around jackets, some with no collars.

Bottega Veneta presented what it called an "extended meditation" on the jacket, starting with an unlined, light, pyjama-inspired jacket in printed cotton or cashmere and moving on to "double" jackets of two monochromatic layers.

Designer Tomas Maier also sent out models in blazers in knit and jersey, finishing with a white shantung silk dinner jacket.

"Thinking about menswear clothes, for me the most important item is the jacket," Maier says after the show. "I also like the fact that the man is more covered. There is a lot of nudity out there and I think it is a little bit too much."

Trousers were loose, made from crisp cotton or double-pleated gabardine, and sometimes cuffed. Navy blue and cobalt dominated, with neutrals glimpsed on the lapel facings of jackets. Patterns were stripes and Vichy checks.

At D&G, the less formal line of designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, the look was nautical, inspired by the French Riviera.

The duo stuck to white and navy blue, with small dabs of red appearing in patterned trousers, bow-ties and on linings. The more casual look suggested jersey vests, slim cut trousers and Bermuda shorts with nautical-themed prints while cotton knitwear was accessorised with a silk neck scarf.

More than 40 designers held catwalk shows at Milan fashion week, which ended on Tuesday.

(China Daily 06/26/2008 page18)

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