IF THERE is one thing that Milan’s designers are famed for, it’s their ability to put on a good show.

It doesn’t matter that their personal aesthetics differ slightly, they can usually be depended upon to provide the following: an extravagant stage set, usually depicting a scene from some aspect of the Italian dolce vita; dresses with more sparkle than you’d find in your average jewellery box; over-the-top make-up; even more over-the-top hair; and a celebrity more famous than the third assistant of the Big Brother film crew.

While the actual clothes may not merit the intellectual dis-section required in the ateliers of Paris, who cares when you get to hang out with Prince after the Versace show? To make your music/fashion extravaganza happen, it’s useful if you have your own private theatre or show space, arguably the new must-have for designers. So far, Armani, the Dolce & Gabbana boys and now Donatella can tick that box. Roberto Cavalli, a showman if ever there was one, hasn’t managed it yet, but presumably it’s only a question of time.

Closing the fashion week on Saturday afternoon, his collection promised to be just as inspiring as last season. A black-and-white cityscape of 1920s Florence had been projected on the surrounding walls and the strains of the soundtrack from Merchant Ivory’s A Room with a View filled the room. This collection wasn’t restricted to Italy though, as Frida Kahlo, the Mexican painter, kept popping up by way of elaborately decorated jackets in gold brocade and a masculine tailoring, juxtaposed with clouds of feminine chiffon.

The advantage of loosely re-ferencing the Twenties was that it enabled Cavalli to play with super-luxe fabrics in a rich tapestry of jewel colours. An orange, crushed-velvet flapper dress with Deco beading was a winner, as was the sumptuous satin blouse in a bewitching shade of teal. A new erogenous zone was the back (like much seen elsewhere this week), which was either left bare in high-collared dresses or else framed by halter-neck evening gowns. There were still hints of the label’s signature details — leopard prints or corseting — although there was significantly less of his Baroque excess, which currently looks so tired.

Slightly disappointing was the Missoni collection earlier in the day. It did not pack its usual punch. While there were some lovely pieces, there were also a few howlers.

Whoever thought it would be a good idea to use boob tubes worn over tops to create a corset effect should have a rethink. Particularly as these top halves were then teamed with bubble skirts, creating unnecessary bulk. The khaki camouflage pattern was a bold, modern move – although it ended up looking very fussy, especially once most of the edges had been trimmed with sequins. More hopeful were the bubble skirts in a spriggy, geometric pattern in either stone or a cornflower blue, which was repeated on summer coats that fastened at the elbow.

Ditto the dresses and tunics with padded outlines that had a distinct Sixties feel to their shape and cut-away patterns on their trims.

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