Monkey prints at Prada, girly gardeners at D&G and major arm candy at Fendi... here are the highlights from the second day of the Milan shows.
L-R: Prada (PA), D&G, Fendi and Sportmax (all Getty Images)
Flower girls: From the invitations which included packets of seeds to the grass-lined catwalk, the theme of D&G's s/s 2011 collection was hard to miss: garden party. Models wore bloomers, dresses, overalls, apron-style skirts and peasant tops in pretty florals and gingham prints, with totes, gardening gloves and tools and kerchiefs in the hair as accessories. The collection was all about enjoying those lazy days of summer and evocative of a Disney movie (or maybe that was just the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs tees models wore?)
Swinging sixties: The 1967 musical Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, starring Catherine Deneuve, provided the inspiration for Sportmax's spring/summer collection. Youthful silhouettes (leg-baring, A-line skirts and dresses) and colourful brights (we have our eye on that red mac) made for a playful '60s feel.
Channelling Carmen Miranda: Miuccia Prada went for maximal impact this time around, in a collection that evoked the colours and spirit of Brazilian samba singer Carmen Miranda (although there was plenty of black for those favouring Prada's more classic style). Bold stripes, explosive colours and exotic prints (monkeys, dancers, bananas) decorated dresses, skirts and loose tops, while accessories included striped fox fur stoles, striped-sole platform trainers and giant sombreros. Those plastic banana earrings Prada wore to take her bow said it all: spring is bound to be festive. Not surprisingly, considering all the bananas around, hair and makeup were inspired by Josephine Baker.
Feeling hot: With a burnt backdrop and opening looks in a "cappucino" print that suggested they'd been touched by fire, the message from Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi was all about those hot summer days -- and how to get through them in style. Fluid shapes like bold-hued smock tops and drop-waisted shirtdresses are the uniform of choice, paired with fab accessories: stacks of bracelets, bright shades and those divine ladylike frame bags featuring colourful strips of leather, eel or crocodile.