Lessons from Milano

[Image: Style.com].
Christopher Kane was pale and interesting for Versus, mixing feminine shapes with a sporty edge - note the basketball court theme of the catwalk, and the linear approach to many of the looks.

[Image via the Guardian online].
Dolce & Gabbana couldn't stand the heat, so they got into the kitchen. Pasta earrings and citrus yellow were the dominant features here.

[Image: Style.com].
Granny Takes a Trip? No, it's Jil Sander's vision for SS12: paisley 70s meets 80s tailoring, with a touch of netting.

[Image: Style.com]
A rare blast of colour from the otherwise predominantly black, white and gold Gucci show.

I'm actually writing this in Paris (continental, I know), but it's time to reflect on what Milan Fashion Week brought us for SS/12. There was a definite eclectic feel to the designs here, with some trends overlapping the seasons and consumers being told that Gucci will be bringing them jewel tones (very AW/11-12 on the high street) and formal tuxedo shapes regardless of how high the temperature soars. Now that's a dedicated follower of fashion who sits in tailored pieces and ignores their feverish brow. In contrast we had hippy paisley and sterile white coats at the same Jil Sander show, whilst Just Cavalli continued the earthy feel with feathers but kept the colour palette softer for many styles. Let's have a re-cap: that's deep jewel colours with paisley and feathers. NOT ALL TOGETHER, PLEASE.

As for the other key players, Versus gave us some pastels with their traditional Christopher Kane edge, whilst Dolce & Gabbana went all domesticated yet again with their homely prints of onions and their strangely delectable pasta earrings. Yes, you remember pasta jewellery from playgroup? Well, now it's been given the accolade of high fashion, so get ready to dig out your old creations and hope you varnished them well.

It definitely felt as though Milan was delving into its creative past with these shows, and really looking at what works and what doesn't. Dolce's kitchen garden feel was much stronger than its previous Madonna-led ad campaigns, where we were asked to believe that the Queen of Pop likes to hold chickens and spend hours making meals for her family. This is much more genuine and much more Italian. I like it a lot. Pass me the onion print and get me an extra large helping of Farfalle pasta, pronto.