Milan Arrivals

NEWS JUST IN - David Beckham and Lindsay Lohan are in town - but no sightings as yet...Clive Owen provided some catwalk distraction turning up as he did at Giorgio Armani...While Avatar's Zoe Saldana sat front row at MaxMara - where she promptly got mobbed by photographers when trying to leave the show...Chris and Tammy Kane at Versace where it was all about flashes of flesh - think dramatic slashes and short, short skirts...

Leading us into the weekend's shows was DSquared yesterday morning. The twin designers took us to their sartorial laboratory with a dramatic show that incorporated jewelled spinal columns and Matrix-tight little black dresses, bursts of blood red and cobweb layers.

At Alberta Ferretti, things were mor e serene with signature pretty dresses and coats to swoon over, while at Gianfranco Ferre it was all about leather and at Versace, high shine glamour via mirror leather and patchwork minidresses.

It was a masculine versus feminine story at Bottega Veneta with leather leggings and teddy bear fur coats, while MaxMara put its coats at the top of our winter shopping lists and Giorgio Armani gave us glamour on the catwalk - and Clive Owen off the catwalk.

A sunny Thursday in Milan saw the schedule get off to a sterling start with several designers providing just what we hoped we would see from them, in the very first day. Miuccia Prada gave us a run down of the looks we love her for; Fifties and Sixties-inspired A-line trapeze skirts, prim fitted tops, and swinging Princess coats were styled with cable-knit socks and perfect beehives. No one does prim and polished (with an edge), like Mrs Prada (see all the show pictures here).

Roberto Cavalli's overtly sexy Just Cavalli girls were punks this season; with mismatched prints, fluffy tutus and ankle boots all balanced with a good helping of Swarovski sparkle to ensure they stayed on the pretty side of rebellious. The D&G duo followed their snowboarding-inspired menswear collection earlier this month with a similarly cosy (if less covered up), collection for their snow bunny girls, comprising knee-high shaggy fur boots, nubbly knit hotpants or rompers and matching cropped sweaters featuring cute reindeer prints.

Following spring/summer 2010's wispy white collection, Lagerfeld's Fendi offering was softer still for autumn/winter; with tactile furs, waffled silks and suedes complemented by a warm palette of burnished autumn shades including honey, grey and mustard.

SEE ALL THE ACTION FROM MILAN

Tonight Gucci and Moschino take to the catwalk, while tomorrow we'll see the likes of Marni, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli and Missoni. Christopher Kane brings the week to a close on Sunday night, showing his second ready-to-wear offering for Versus before the crowd head from Milan to the City of Light for the last leg of the international collections in Paris.

Milan Arrivals