A stylish statement from Milan on fashion

Milan Fashion Week came to a close yesterday after leaving a style statement with shimmering metallics, ornate gold detailing, longer hemlines, minimalist lines and feminine colours.

Gucci and Ferretti kicked off the autumn-winter 2012 collections attended by the elite of the fashion world.

Musketeers and seductive water nymphs sashayed down the catwalk at the Gucci show, which opened with a stunning array of velvet capes and see-through dresses.

Dark feathers and tulle were central themes in Alberta Ferretti’s event but they took a far subtler tone and were gently scattered on top of black mesh tops or whisped out from skirts.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana drew on the Sicilian Baroque tradition for inspiration for their collection, paraded under vast gold chandeliers covered in roses in front of a huge gilt-framed mirror.

Roberto Cavalli’s outfits gathered low-brow party girls and Victorian ladies and cast them adrift in the safari wilderness.

At Giorgio Armani, bermuda shorts made a dramatic comeback in a catalogue which mixed modern cuts and vibrant colours with throwbacks to the 1920s.

Femme fatales straight out of a Hitchcock film stalked down the Bottega Veneta catwalk but they could not compete with the seductive pureness at the Jil Sander parade.

There the catwalk was decorated with large vases of rose-coloured flowers, setting off a delicately-tailored collection of dresses and coats in luxurious pale blues, pink blushes, creams and ivories.

Roses were dominant in the Emporio Armani show as well.

But the collection was more masculine, with structured jackets thrown over softer blouses, dresses and cardigans.

Futuristic warrior sirens, primed for battle, snaked down the Versace catwalk , as Donatella unveiled a collection which tempered aggressive cuts with sensual textures.

Fendi’s collection evoked fairy tales such as Snow White, describing how the colours ranged from “the deepest green of the forest to the richest dark red and touches of white, the warm glow before snow.”