Dolce & Gabbana go safari sexy for spring

2.00pm

Milan sauntered off on a stylish safari as Dolce & Gabbana and Gianfranco Ferre raided the animal kingdom for next spring's wardrobe.

Dolce & Gabbana stormed to the top of fashion conscious wishlists as they put on a luxurious show of python, zebra and acres of lace.

The design duo known for their super-sexy style stayed true to form with skin-tight trousers and snakeskin skirts that flicked open to reveal panels of French lace and plenty of leg.

Leopard prints and python skin played against sequins and long strips of chiffon for a sprawling selection of evening wear that delighted the crowd, which included Dolce & Gabbana devotee Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham.

"Sex on a hanger," one Italian editor said after the show.

Even working girls who can't be too overtly sexy in the office had their choice of catwalk clothes.

Cream chiffon shirts were edged in python, work skirts were worn under zebra-print jackets and trouser suits had double cuffs or lapels - one in shot silk, the other in python again.

"The collection isn't about any one look. We've got everything a modern woman needs here - hotpants, bermuda shorts, suits, jeans," Stefano Gabbana said before the show.

Domenico Dolce's favourite were the handbags which came in matching pairs - one big enough to hold the life of any modern woman, the other just big enough for a mobile phone, some cash and keys.

"Look! Take it off its mother and you can clip it on to your belt hoop and go clubbing - a jeans-bag," he said.

Dolce & Gabbana also seemed to be loading up the cabinets of their new accessories store in Milan with chunky jewellery in ebony, ivory and silver.

Shoes - in animal print, of course - were either flat ballerina slippers, sharp stilettos or towering 16-centimetre platform wedges.

CITY OR SAFARI?

Ferre showed a spring collection with elegant, pale separates for smart city salons, edgy outfits of black netting and zips for a grungy day, and shiny black office suits.

He then splashed into a flurry of colourful jeans and jackets decorated with sequinned flowers and jersey dresses painted with zebra stripes, leopard spots and python print.

Huge rounds of applause greeted a series of evening gowns with big structured fans of material that curved up and around the body - real crowd stoppers.

- REUTERS

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