Milan Fashion Week 2003

By SARA TEMPLETON

Naomi Campbell greets Stefano Gabbana

In Australia, we have plenty of fashion shows throughout the year in which many talented up-and-coming designers get to show off their ideas to the world at large.

But between September 22nd and October 3rd, the world at large will be eyeing off Italy, more precisely Milan.

The Milan Fashion Week 2003 was a showcase of emerging spring fashions for the Northern Hemisphere.

So why is it called a 2003 show if the show's held in 2002?

A rather good question, that one. Firstly, the event is called the 2003 show, but held the year before because it is a preview, if you will, of the upcoming fashions and ideas going around the fashion industry.

Each of the big designers had signature looks at the 2003 Milan Fashion week, with Dolce and Gabbana offering some rather flamboyant ancient Roman-inspired design ideas. Some are even calling it the 'Gladiator' look. Not quite sure what to make of that really... D&G also offered up a couple of interesting takes on evening wear, with a 'less is more' approach.

The Giorgio Armani collection was rather subdued in my humble opinion, and without the tempting bags and berets, the somewhat guady fashions may take a while to mature. There's always the summer shows...

Maurizio Pecoraro used creative knitwear to great effect, while Twiggy, the British superstar model from the 60s, strutted her stuff for Gattinoni design. Still very much a participant in today's fashion scene, London-based Twiggy showed off a rather loud silver gown, modestly stating after the show: "Next to these girls, I'm very fat and pretty tiny."

Indeed, at just five foot six inches (5' 6"), the model/actress was quite a few years younger when she was strutting her stuff. In 1966, Twiggy (aka Lesley Hornby) was named 'The Face of 1966' by The Daily Express, and she also won two Golden Globe awards for her part in Ken Russell’s The Boy Friend. She had even conquered the the music scene by the time the 70s came around, with two best-selling albums in Britain.

Her entrance during the 2003 Milan Fashion Week was a subtle, yet pleasing surprise, and she carried the silver frock particularly well - not bad for a veteran model.

Stephen Fairchild also had quite a presence at the show, combining simple, everyday attire with colourful headwear to great effect. Other standout designers included Max Mara, Biagiotti and Itlaian stylist Antonio Marras showed off some really promising designs.

At the end of the day, the overall feel to the show was much more vibrant and excited compared to last year, though the reason for a subdued 2002 Milan Fashion Week was the September 11 crisis, which saw many designers pull out of the show altogether.

But things are looking up again in 2002-2003, and with an abundance of exciting new designs on offer, and of course Twiggy, we can expect upcoming fashions to evolve in dynamic new ways, offering intriguing new styles.

(Photos AFP, AP.)