Armani, Ferre round off upbeat Milan Fashion Week

Armani showed off a sophisticated business woman on the catwalk with a collection that included grey trouser suits and double-breasted jackets.

But there was a playfulness too with fuchsia pink and purple dresses, handbags and sandals worn under the grey or high-cut jackets, casually combined with austere pencil skirts.

The colours stayed muted in Ferre’s collection, which featured statuesque dresses with mature elegance.

Giant belts underlined the thin waistlines of the models parading past and the folds in the cloth looked like particularly elaborate origami.

Frankie Morello’s show also on Monday had a lighter, more youthful feel with a variety of white and mint colour combinations as well as flower-pattern blouses and red capri pants.

Buyers and organisers have spoken of a successful fashion week that has managed to overcome Italy’s economic gloom.

Several up-and-coming designers making their debut like Fausto Puglisi and Uma Wang are being tipped for greater things and there has been huge interest in another young stylist, Marco de Vincenzo.

The National Chamber of Italian Fashion has said it expects the sector’s turnover to grow 3.5 percent next year, returning to its level in 2008 before the start of the economic crisis.

It is still expecting a decline of 2.5 percent this year, however, and a report released on Monday showed that 5,000 businesses in the fashion sector have gone under over the past 12 months.