Fashion Week
A/W 2012

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Day 1

Gucci

Day 2

Max Mara Fendi Prada

Day 3

Versace

Day 4

Bottega Veneta Emporio Armani Sportmax Jil Sander Emilio Pucci

Day 5

Marni Trussardi Missoni Salvatore Ferragamo Versus

Day 6

Giorgio Armani

Gucci

Undoubtedly, the best part of the Gucci Fall collection was the hair: long, loose golden locks tied casually behind the model’s heads like aristocratic nymphs. In terms of clothes, Frida Giannini mined the languid, bohemian glamour of her early Gucci collections that were often laced with ankle-grazing hostess gowns and stacked equestrian boots. Those signature items came beefed up this season with voluminous poet sleeves and illusionistic embroidery climbing up the front of sheer black gowns. The knee-length boots, meanwhile, were flat and fierce, tucked over jodhpur-style brocade trousers. Plush velvets and rich adornment, not to mention the giant shaved mink capes, gave the collection a glossy decadence

Gucci

Max Mara

Army girls stalked the backstage area of the Max Mara show wearing shiny metallic pumps that latched up the leg, military caps and sweeping officer coats that gave the sexy girls a boyish kick. The best part of the Fall collection was the inventive use of crocodile skin that trimmed everything from shin-guard socks to sturdy tweed coats. Mock-croc was created on embossed Devore velvet turtlenecks and stretch skirts, which made the real crocodileskins on matching handbags pop out all the more

Max Mara

Fendi

It is always a treat to see what the whims of Karl Lagerfeld will bring to the extraordinary fur capabilities at the House of Fendi. This season we received delicacies such as an antelope-hide tailored suit and a puff-sleeved A-line coat, crafted from an antelope breastplate and glossy pony skin. Textured shagreen coated not only the entire runway but colour blocked handbags and hard iPad cases. The curved geometry of the collection, seen on skirt slits, was inspired by 1920s furniture design

Fendi

Prada

A geometric wonderland unfolded at Prada where clothes were covered in layers of graphic prints that recalled funky carpets and curtains from the late 1960s and 70s. Even the shards of giant, shiny embroidery that crusted sweeping coats and sleeveless coat-dresses had the same mosaic tile feel. But it was the hair that really had us transfixed: ironed flat into reams of white or honey strands, the model’s locks were then dipped into pitch black dye, creating a skunk-like effect and the perfect accent to the dramatic eye-socket makeupp

Prada

Versace

The only person with a waist smaller than the models' at Versace was Donatella Versace, who poured herself into the same waist-eliminating corset-dress as the girls backstage. This season’s body morphing silhouette (often strapless) was cut right up to a gleaming upper thigh, except in the grand finale when it fell to the floor in a pile of extra-large chain mail. If that doesn’t sound sexy enough to round up any male lurking within a 500 km radius, the footwear sealed the deal: over-the-knee boots in naughty black leather lattice gave the impression that the models were wearing nothing but fishnet stockings with heels

Versace

Bottega Veneta

This year marks a decade of Tomas Maier's stewardship at Bottega Veneta, and the show spanned not only the strict tailored simplicity Maier established right from the start, but the rich, decorative narrative he developed later. The collection was strong, sexy, grown-up (without being old) and supremely chic. Each and every piece had a depth to delight, in terms of cut, construction, fabrication, colour and decoration. The latter was integral to the shape, such as the hand-painted brush strokes that helped define the nipped-in waists; the raw, frayed edges of silk crafted into a peplum (that resembled dark overscale rose petals); or the torn chiffon panels floating over tiny sequins up the front of a dress. Shape was severe and fitted, simple but never plain and referenced couture, with lightly padded hips, corsetted busts and nipped waists. Even the chunky cashmere knits had a pronounced shoulder

Bottega Veneta

Emporio Armani

Always a fixation for the designer, the headgear at Emporio Armani was this season cut into snug satin, Jacquard florals, or embossed velvet beanies. The shrinkage atop the head was carried forth down below with tightened shoulders in cropped jackets and jodhpurs that ended at the knee. Those jodhpurs looked most convincing in plain velvet or satin rather than wacky blown up florals and, to cut the lightness, they could’ve used a sturdy stacked high boot rather than sensible flats

Emporio Armani

Sportmax

The architectural undertones at Sportmax created a streamlined collection with graphic seaming and moulded, body-conscious silhouettes. The effect was softened armour, such as funnel-neck sweaters featuring rhomboid-shaped sleeves or sweatshirts encrusted with diamond-shaped sequin embroidery. We of course admired the long rows of snap-button detailing that looked like punched sheet concrete on a building site

Sportmax

Jil Sander

Raf Simons' farewell collection for Jil Sander was an emotionally-charged tour de force. Delicate and powerfully simple, the collection culminated with everything that Simons does best. The colour palette moved from the softest of pastels to the hottest of fire cherries, all of them glowing with richness. The shapes were deceptively simple - stripped down double-faced cashmere trapeze coats and patchwork-knit dresses fine as gauze - but the intricate workmanship and impeccable details raised the clothes to the category of couture. In the end, models, editors, buyers and even the designer himself, were in tears

Jil Sander

Emilio Pucci

What do you do with the legacy of the world’s most famous fashion print artist on your shoulders? Emilio Pucci is a tough act to follow. But Peter Dundas has learned how to one-up the prince of prints by playing the pattern game on a new court all together. This season, he interpreted 'print' as a play on black textures and wild 3D embroidery. Instead of serving up the same old tired swirls, Dundas slashed into heavy black double crepes, as if with a giant pair of beastly finger nails, leaving only a swathe of dark chiffon or crystal trim in his wake. The embroideries, meanwhile, brought traditional men’s woven techniques - like Fair Isle sweater or hound’s tooth patterns - into vivid life with huge crystal adornment. Print, when it did come, was exceptional on a metallic sky blue marble-effect pattern on mens’ pajamas

Emilio Pucci

Marni

This season the Milan runways are packed with witty tromp l'oeil effects. These tricks of the eye (often replicating menswear patterns) look most new on intricate fur techniques that elevate ladylike pelts to new levels of cool graphism. This was especially true at Marni, where designer Consuelo Castiglioni offered full shaved mink coats, featuring eye-popping tartan plaids, and the type of colour blocking normally reserved for outdoorsy or woven fabrics. The graphic punch was underscored by juicy brights like fire cherry and hot lemon patent leather on big boxy outerwear and fabulous oversized eyewear

Marni

Trussardi

Umit Benan is bringing a cool, calm, masculine slant to the leather goods and clothes at Trussardi. But despite the oil-slicked hair that had a whiff of a Teddy Boy about it, and the buttoned-up collared shirts worn with mannish tailored jackets, the line-up still had a feminine slant thanks to the sensual draping of mid-calf skirts, handkerchief hems and a touch of shiny metal. Scoring particularly high marks was the colour palette (with as many variations on the colour brick as humanly possible) and luxurious materials, all of which made the collection as high-end as it deserves to be

Trussardi

Missoni

For anyone determined to pull off Missoni's new latex bodysuits (Wallpaper* staff included), we suggest stocking up on a healthy supply of talcum powder, for there is no other conceivable way of slipping into the skin-tight, sexy, chocolate brown layers that bound the model's chests and necks like cling film. The multiple layers of knits, on the other hand, wrapped models with the ease of a baby's blanket and looked especially fresh when inserted with jagged tufts of Astrakhan fur. The urban warrior looks were finished off with sharp silver metal earrings and crystal amulets the size of popsicles. Yum.

Missoni

Salvatore Ferragamo

When a gold-buttoned, belt-buckled Astrakhan military coat (clinging to the shoulders like the poshest of police uniforms) appeared at Ferragamo, we had a sinking feeling that the Florentine company was planning to charge through regimental territory this season. But creative Director Massimiliano Giornetti took the secret police theme by way of 19th c. Russia, sending his models out with fiercely middle-parted hair that was then whisked back into a split-braid doughnut bun. If the uniform-like jackets and sweeping epaulette coats gave a whiff of marching orders, then the plush black velvet embroideries, metallic-flecked chiffon peasant blouses and lace dresses put everything into a feminine perspective

Salvatore Ferragamo

Versus

The flat-pressed, long-haired ladies on the Versus runway seemed to belong more to the underground, clubbing world of Versace, than to that of Creative Director, Christopher Kane. But perhaps Kane has been doing some night-crawling, because he mastered the late-night uniform of the fierce over-the-knee boot and matching mini dress with the sort of élan that only comes from observing young meat in the dark corner of a club. Kane decorated his mid-thigh dresses with plenty of geometric prints - from diamonds to cubes and every upholstery pattern possible, not to mention cool 3D seaming and thick slashing. But the best for us, was the hot colour and black prints that appeared to drip down the clothes

Versus

Giorgio Armani

A tree-full of tangerines seemed to have fallen on Giorgio Armani's Fall collection, exploding in the form of micro Swarovski crystals onto final dresses and sweaters, worn with black satin Bermuda shorts. Armani worked his orange and black theme from the start, sowing the seed with shaggy fur coats and knit jackets alike. But our favorite moment was when it was just a cool touch, such as on a flared white cocktail dress with a beautifully abstract painterly print