Milan Autumn/Winter '08

Gianni Versace, Autumn/Winter 2008 (scroll down to read review)
Gianni Versace
Milan finished on a high, thanks in part to another stellar showing from Versace who closed the week. Donatella Versace, who has been moving the brand steadily in to a cleaner and, dare we say, minimal direction for some time, showed a strong and modern collection that fits in with Milan's mood, but with just enough sexiness to maintain the brand DNA. Coats were strong, but the real standouts were the dresses, short for day, colour blocked, with detailing reduced to the cut and graphic bands of cloth, often reversed, torqued and snaked round the body. This idea was developed for evening with some super subtle tone-on-tone embroidery on a series of stunning gowns (Milan is just days before the Oscars). Versace prints were banished, apart from a series of short silk gazar dresses featuring specially commissioned collages by Dutch artist Tim Roeloffs who had cleverly worked in iconic imagery from old Versace ad campaigns. The shoes, with their 15cm heels, featured a brushed-metal insert platform and on some, bolts as detail. They were architectural and right on track. Newsworthy too were the bags, some of the best we have seen all week.