MILAN, September 22, 2008

By Nicole Phelps

The fact that the air-conditioning konked out at her show added a touch of irony to Clare Waight Keller's pleasant if somewhat lackluster Pringle collection, inspired as it was by David Hockney's swimming-pool paintings. "I wanted a bit of escapism," she said backstage. "She's a sexier girl, and confident, but it's still easy." Playing on the company's heritage of knits, Waight Keller rethought the twinset (invented by the Scottish house in the thirties) as a knee-skimming cardigan and matching tank dress with ruffles cascading down the front. She remade the heavy-gauge cable sweater, too, transforming it into a viable summer option by knitting it so loosely that from a distance it looked like lace. Cotton dresses tucked and folded origami-style at the neckline and the waist came decorated with brushstroke prints in cobalt and turquoise, while simple white shifts were densely embroidered in black, blue, and gray for a 3-D effect. A boyishly offhand touch was added by engineer-stripe Henleys, cardigans, and full-cropped pants—but elsewhere the embellishments were a bit overwrought. As cool as the blues were and as light and transparent as the gauzy knits looked, they couldn't stir the air in the room, nor did they rouse much of a reaction from the crowd.

MILAN, September 22, 2008

By Nicole Phelps

"This collection confirms a style that has changed the face of fashion," the program notes stated. That's not too bold of a claim when it comes from a designer like Giorgio Armani, the man who rethought the modern suit, then put his own sparklingly sinuous stamp on red-carpet wear. His Spring collection had both of those signatures in spades.

The show opened with elongated one-button jackets in traditional suiting fabrics. The ones that followed had a similar slight flare below the waist or a ruffle of pleats at the back, but they were made in fluid jerseys and shown with pleated and tapered silk pants, long shorts, or tucked-hem skirts. The wet-look hair and glistening makeup that was perhaps conceived to reinforce the show's breezy "Joy to Wear" message was too much of a good thing, but it was refreshing to see some big-name models on Armani's runway.

And speaking of big names, how fitting that Cate Blanchett was in the audience today: Armani has no better emissary for the sort of body-skimming beaded stunners in which he specializes. He sent out one-shoulder cocktail dresses and wispy chiffons in soft pastels, but they were just an opening act for his finale: a parade of beaded and embroidered long dresses that glimmered without veering into glitz. Had the timing been different, Jessica Stam's strapless number would certainly have surfaced on the red carpet at last night's

MILAN, September 22, 2008

By Nicole Phelps

It was anchors away at D&G, where messieurs Dolce and Gabbana took a dip in the azure waters of the French Riviera. Make that a long soak. They never do anything halfway, and this collection was no exception, from the first retro navy-striped maillot with a red anchor on the chest to the parade of dresses in pleated gold lamé and chiffon printed with nautical flags and sailor knots. Over the top? Well, yes, but there was plenty in between that will play on dry land, including tailored blazers, high-waisted sailor pants, a "gold-plated reptile" trenchcoat, and thick, metallic-shot hand-woven knits, the best of which was a crewneck sweater worn with balloon shorts.

And because the Côte d'Azur was a stomping ground for Coco Chanel, who kept an iris-strewn holiday villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, the Chanel-isms abounded: little red-and-white-checked and sequined bouclé suits, but with shorts not skirts; a long, striped cardigan cum beach cover-up; twenties-feeling high-hemmed shifts; and a super-wide-brimmed sun hat straight out of a photograph of Mademoiselle herself. Fishnets, flag-printed wedge sandals, patent bags, and knit swim caps numbered among the other accessories. It was a kick from beginning to end, which is, after all, what Saint-Tropez fun in the sun is all about.

At Gianfranco Ferré

September 21, 2008

Stella McCartney: Fall 2008