Milan puts on good Fashion Show in tough times

“I can’t believe how upbeat they are here,” said American fashion writer Mary Lou Luther, creative director of The Fashion Group Inter-national. Luther noted that recession concerns were so much on people’s minds during the recent New York shows that they were mentioned in show notes, usually reserved for collection descriptions.

Not that the Milan runway has been spared economic problems during the current fashion week.

Roberto Cavalli canceled his second line Just Cavalli show, scheduled for Thursday, blaming his licensing company Ittierre, which had fled for bankruptcy protection in early February.

In the meantime, Ittierre obtained euro30 million ($38.6 million) from Italian banks, and said it was considering legal action against Cavalli because of the cancellation. In the end, Cavalli put 20 items from the collection on view in his Milan showroom.

Just a day before the Ferre show was to go on, IT Holding, which bought the Ferre fashion house in 2002 for euro185 million, was granted bankruptcy protection from its creditors. The holding company’s failure came a 1 1/2 years after the death of Ferre’s founder and designer, Gianfranco Ferre.

The Ferre team decided the show must go on, and the collection was unveiled on schedule Friday.

“We have total continuity. Gianfranco Ferre has never stopped producing,” Ferre CEO Michela Piva told The Associated Press.

Judging from the runway, tough times have energized the designers.

The current preview showings for next winter, now at the midway point, are about real clothes for real women. At times the look is daring, at others demure, but rarely does it lose track of what fashion is really about, finding attractive ways to answer the need to cover the human body.

After many seasons, where women seemed to be on a never ending vacation or out dancing every night, city clothes are back, epitomized by the pant suit. Very 1980’s, as when it made its debut on the Milan runway, but less androgynous, the suit tends to have a small jacket and slim pants, like the ones presented in the Gucci collection Saturday evening.

Dresses make a big comeback, often replacing skirts, which when they do appear are very short and usually worn with dark stockings. Cavalli, who showed his frst line Sunday, had a number of mini skirts made up of shinny black beading.

Cavalli’s almost all black collection was a sign of the times - it was devoid of the sexy gold, glitter and bare legs that usually identify the flamboyant designer’s style.

Earlier Sunday, Marni, by designer Consuelo Castiglioni, offered lots of showy jewelry to accompany her classic styles, another sign that Italian designers are not going to let bad times get them down.

Italy’s industry minister, Claudio Scajola, has promised to announce measures soon to help boost the industry in these difficult times. Designers and manufacturers complain that, unlike France, where fashion is heralded as a national asset, in Italy the industry, which employs 800,000 people, is left to its own devices.

“It is true that fashion has a sparkling image ... but it is an industry and we need someone to think of us,” said Mario Boselli, head of the Italian Fashion Chamber.