With Samuel L Jackson and American film director Spike Lee sitting front row, Giorgio Armani sent a Mediterranean gypsy-chic themed collection down the runway as Milan Fashion Week got underway on Monday.
The veteran Italian designer had looked to the idyllic southern Italian island of Pantelleria - where he has a home - for inspiration in creating his new spring/summer 2008 line. Models floated down the catwalk in a series of loosely structured tunics and wide leg trousers in an aquatic palette. Azure 'bloomers' were teamed with tunics in shimmering, turquoise-hued fabrics reminiscent of a butterfly's wings.
Among the show's highlights was an emerald green affair which clung seductively to every curve. And, like many of the outfits, it was accessorised with a fine net snood and matching gypsy-style shawl.
Also looking to yesteryear were Italian design duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The pair's youthful D&G range explored a retro approach based on Britain's Glastonbury music festival. A series of tiered dresses and Seventies patchwork prints joined bell-bottomed jeans and classic denim waistcoats to recreate the boho hippy. Sexy but relaxed, the new collection marked a more grown-up direction for the label.