Milan Saturday: Dolce & Gabbana, Ferrari and Ferragamo

Milan’s final round of shows on Saturday was all about dressing creative women and iconic females, notably Madonna, who caused a huge stampede when she sat front row at Dolce & Gabbana to witness a collection whose muse she was.

Talk about making an entrance. It sounded as if Maradona had scored in a World Cup final, but the huge applause was instead for Madonna entering the Dolce & Gabbana’s show.

Attired in a black lace dressed, her face covered by a black mantilla veil, her head topped by a gold crown, Madonna entered to 1,000 guests wielding 1,000 mobile phones.

Her whole aesthetic was celebrated in this show. From ‘Blond Ambition’ and ‘Material Girl’, to ‘Vogue‘ and ‘Truth or Dare’, where she wore her first bodice. Back to 1992 when the Italian duo created costumes for ‘Erotica tour’, and through to 2008 when Madonna wore Dolce & Gabbana on the cover of her ‘Hard Candy’ album.

On the catwalk, the entire cast wearing peroxide blonde wigs, and scores of looks finished with her signature conical bra. Even the tuxedos had tits in this show.

At the finale, Domenico and Stefano – who normally take a brief bow at the top of the catwalk, strolled halfway down to salute Madonna Ciccone. The Italian American signer rising to embrace them.

“Madonna has always been our icon. It’s thanks to her that a lot of things in our life changed,” said the duo in the program notes.

Entitled ‘Italian Beauty’, the designers said the collection was an homage to “an iconic and powerful female figure, immortalized by cinema through the decades.” Though the clear muse was Madonna, playing on her codes: from anatomically tailored jackets, to corset details.

Made principally in black and white, in a mix of materials: duchesse crepe, tulle, chiffon lace and eco-fur. A collection that finished with a series of flesh-colored bustier dresses, to dress the design duo’s latest steamy widows. In the world of Dolce & Gabbana women never stay in mourning very long, and never get a headache.

In between a half-dozen great photoshop floral print dresses, the kind of sexy Sicilian look that is the heart of Dolce & Gabbana. And riffing on past Latin divas via oversized cross earrings or Sicily and Marlene bags.

Though the star of the show was not on the runway. It was Madonna, sitting in a section that included Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova. Even with her face covered, she owned this show.

No one can doubt that Maximilian Davis, designer of Ferragamo, has plenty of talent. Yet, it’s hard to recall the last time Ferragamo had a bases-loaded hit collection, and this latest show did not break that long run.

There was plenty to admire in the collection, but also a certain amount to regret, even if the show was staged with considerable skill inside a giant sound studio with massive beige drapes, and matching carpet and box-shaped ottomans in a giant circle.

Far too often the clothes were simply too complicated: crinkled leather or waxy cotton trench-coats, but three sizes too large, falling open and finished with a waistband way below the hips. Plus, huge sueded cocoon coats drowned several models rather than gave them any sense of majesty.

Yet his ballet dancer returning from a workout wearing satin strap high heels will surely find fans, as will slip dresses in golden anthracite and Yves Klein blue silk wrap cocktails.

“The collection was based on the relationship Salvatore had with a number of ballerinas. One of them is Catherine Dunham,” said Davis, whose invitation was a black-and-white archive photo of Signor Ferragamo putting a new shoe on the dancer and choreographer.

Plus, Davis righted himself at the finale, where his skill in draping came to the fore. And one could not fault his macramé dresses that looked like they were made of lab grown seaweed. Or a sensational leather coat made of cutout belts. An ambitious collection which, even if erratic, showed a young designer taking risks and experimenting. Which founder Salvatore – looking happy on the show invite – would have enjoyed.

As inviting as the interior of a Gran Turismo saloon, and as kicky as a Formula One 312T car taking a tight corner, the latest Ferrari collection did not lack drama.

Neither did its staging inside a restored theater at Piazza Vetro, where the cast almost careened around the twisting runway. Drama too in the soundtrack – eight singers in a mock modern Gregorian chant composed by DJ Frédéric Sanchez.

Ferrari’s fashion designer Rocco Iannone certainly doesn’t lack self-confidence and likes to dress a self-assured customer.

Whether that is in blood dried red leather suits cut with a raglan back and pencil skirts; or draped coopery silk dresses with deep gorges and open backs.

Those hues all mixed together in a great jacquard blazer worn over a rouched leather bra. While in a co-ed show, the guys wore blood dried dense cotton suits and some great high-collar jerkins with super wide cargo pants. Very racetrack and nightclub cool.

Rocco entitled this collection ‘Ferrari Cabinet’, and it is a testament to his success that after seven collections, he has managed to create an identifiable style and look for the famed auto marque. The cars have always been instantly recognizable with their zesty lines and leaping horse logo. Now Ferrari fashion is too.

He also accessorized the gals with headlight-sized retro futurist shades and showed boxy handbags in exotic Ferrari yellow. All leading to a series of Ferrari red suede, leather and iridescent microfiber cocktails. In a show climaxed by a trio of auto couture looks, three lazar cut shiny combos, fit to celebrate winning race at Monte Carlo.