the cherry on top

Milan Fashion Week wrapped up yesterday after four days of non-stop hit collections. I was in awe of the usuals (Zegna, Jil Sander, Burberry) but what made things even better was the fact that Domenico and Stefano at Dolce & Gabbana and D&G really showed why they became so popular in the first place. Going away from the usual Italian stereotypes of gold sneakers and stuffed shirts and ripped jeans, the Italian duo keeps finding inspiration in the country's traditional clothing and putting it through their funnel to bring their clothes to the present. For the D&G line, which I haven't liked since I was 16, they gave us a picnic orgy of gingham and espadrilles. They created mono-colour outfits that played with patterns, prints and texture. Everything was extremely wearable, fresh and, yes, desirable.

Dean and Dan at Dsquared2 were my second surprise of the week. I normally find their collections really fun and clever but too stuck into their own cliched Italian-ness. For SS11, however, their found inspiration in the classic 'American Gigolo'. Personally, I think they couldn't have chosen a theme that suited them better. The 80's vibe works amazingly with the really modern colours of the tucked-in t-shirts and tight straight-legged jeans. Their collection also had that kind of cocky attitude they always add to their clothes but this time it was a cool kind of cockiness when men slick their hair back and leave undone a few buttons on their shirts for the walk of shame they will enjoy.

And now we're on to Paris. It's only getting better. Which was your favourite collection from MFW?
I'm off.

[Pictures: GQ.com, larapixie.blogspot.com]

when you're not Carine

One thing Giulia and I noticed when we went to the New Look SS10 preview back in December —and what makes their SS10 collection great— is how they have extracted the essence of the main trends of the season and transferred them onto high street clothing versions. Here are some of our favourites that will be hitting the stores soon. What do you think?

[Picture credits: Style.com and New Look]

I'm off.

Update: The SS10 collection will be out in stores starting at the end of this month! And get ready for the opening of their flagship store in London!