Boot Reboot
Boots strode down many Milan catwalks over-the-knee brown and stack-heeled, dainty, spiky and ankle-height, velvet, textured, patterned every option was covered. At Jimmy Choo, they were buckled at the ankle and toe or covered with strands of crystals and pearls. At Ermanno Scervino, they came black, pointed, slouchy and sat just below the knee. Teamed with a hot red lip, tweed coat and bare leg they become a dynamic, sexy option for autumn. Sasha Slater
The Cold Shoulder
One-sleeved dresses will always look as though something untoward happened on the way out the door. But one shoulder? Here is asymmetry in all its glory. It's also a bona-fide trend, exemplified here by Giorgio Armani, who gave us black velvet trousers and a midnight-coloured sheath top. Navy and black have never looked more comfortable together. Lisa Armstrong
Ultra-Luxe Sweaters
Huge woolly jumpers got a great look-in. At Ermanno Scervino they came in Easter egg shades of pink, yellow and blue, ribbed, sprinkled with diamanté and with a high roll-neck. More wearable was the Brunello Cucinelli option of white, baggy and worn with matching slouchy trousers. Loro Piana's most sublime offering was meltingly soft in navy baby cashmere. Equally desirable was Max Mara's take a soft, fluffy oatmeal number with a round neck and matching long cardigan: the height of stealth-luxe. Sasha Slater
Bedroom Dressing
Underwear as outerwear is usually reserved for the under-25s a casualty of its lack of discreet supporting structures and unforgiving spaghetti straps. But the Milanese take on the look was more forgiving. There was lots of lace trim on hems, everywhere from Versace to Gucci. At Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini there were full looks but, loose-sleeved, full-length and with a high round neck, this was more Katharine Hepburn in Philadelphia Story than Like a Virgin-era Madonna, and all the better for it. Sasha Slater
Sporty Gets Grown Up
A year ago, sportswear was still being hailed as the new norm in fashion. Once you'd experienced the comfort of 3in trainer soles and the slouchy joys of a designer tracksuit, there would be no going back, ever.
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Advertise with NZME.Er, not quite. The past three weeks of shows have seen streetwear relegated to the gym, and even then... Yet some faint traces remain. Tod's patent extended epaulettes on a shapely, aubergine nylon parka with delicate chain belt and Sportmax's ultra-chic, sporty cropped navy peacoat update (one of my favourite looks of the week) proved that a dash of relaxed but sleek athleticism à la Coco Chanel will always be in style. Lisa Armstrong
Snazzy Socks
Just to clarify, this trend pairs the types of shoes you wouldn't usually wear with socks court shoes, or even open toes with socks a cut above your common or garden. Fendi paired sheer printed pop socks with black patent courts; Bally's shoes were suede, the socks a bit thicker and ribbed. Saves on the pedicures... Charlie Gowans-Eglinton
Winter White
Wearing large amounts of white in winter can go any which way, effects-wise. It can go Letitia Wright, the chic winner of the Bafta 2019 rising star award in her Stella McCartney white silk trouser suit. It can go Letitia Dean wearing white baggy boots and white mohair in EastEnders, circa 1988. It can go Letizia of Spain: dressed-down-for-a-queen in impeccably fitted white dresses and an effortless tan. It can even go in the direction of people whose names don't commence with the letter L; Melania, for instance. For that, you need to add white hat, white bag, white shoes and a de haut en bas detached expression that suggests you may be dressed in white outside, but your sentiments inside concerning your husband are dark. Perhaps winter white is best demonstrated at Brunello Cucinelli, where the emphasis on deluxe textures, relaxed cuts and subtle gradations in hue make it just about foolproof. Lisa Armstrong
My So-Called Skirt
I approach anything "grunge" with caution after some ill-judged wardrobe choices of my own made under the influence of Claire Danes's angsty portrayal of the everyteen in My So-Called Life. But perhaps it's time to reconsider the early Nineties' bias cut silk skirt is currently on the rail of every high street store worth its salt, and Agnona's checked asymmetrical column is even more tempting. Charlie Gowans-Eglinton
The Ball Gown Goes Mainstream
A witty challenge to the lumbering gender stereotyping on the Oscars red carpet, or opportunistic attention-seeking? Whatever your response to the sweeping crini-tux Billy Porter wore to the ceremony, the man clearly has a sixth fashion sense. The huge, whooshy ball gown that most constraining, alt-feminine, seemingly irrelevant piece of clothing is being used in all kinds of interesting ways on the catwalk. Peak Scarlett O'Hara was achieved by Pierpaolo Piccioli, who rustled them up for Moncler in snow-friendly iterations and stole the show. O'Hara, lest we forget, had unprogressive views on racial equality, but she didn't give a damn about conventionality. What would she make of Billy? Lisa Armstrong
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Prada's black foam floor was a test of endurance for trypophobes, but all those little air holes literally cushioned the blow of wearing high heels after seasons of flats. And oh, what shoes these were glittery, strappy, Wizard of Oz heels, saved from being saccharine by the accompanying khaki nylon and black tailoring. Trainers were absent from most catwalks (and front rows), having dominated in recent seasons cause for mourning among busy (ie, all) women. But at least we can mourn in sparkly shoes. Charlie Gowans-Eglinton
The Daily Telegraph
