La Dolce Vida

MILAN (Reuters) - Retro chic ruled at Milan fashion week on Monday with satin fabrics, crochet dresses and silk layers. Designers struck a blow for women who are fed up with the extremes of sexed up wild styles or lady like demure styles. Here, we have the best of both worlds. In their sophisticated designs, masterminds like Musso, Camerino and Scognamiglio display their chic styles for the Ready-To-Wear line for Spring 2007. Stay tuned to fashion-beat.com for more pics as we move away from London and now find our-selves in Milan, Italy. The fashion capital of the world.

Salvatorre Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo famously supplied Marilyn Monroe with shoes for her steamy role in 1959's Some Like It Hot. In the end, though, the collection didn't quite make a persuasive case to be taken on a par with the brand's lucrative accessories. Underscoring the importance of the latter to this house, nearly every model came out with the glam oversize shades, stacks of bangles or chain-handle bags, and croc slingbacks. Ferragamo also had some of the prettiest and healthiest looking models I've seen since the end of NYC fashion week.

Belstaff

Belstaff, the 82-year-old company first known for its waterproof, waxed-cotton motorcycle gear and more recently championed by Hollywood costume designers, took a wrong turn this season. This tough-chic line has always had a certain sex appeal, but its attraction lies in being effortless, not blatant. Here, Belstaff's traditional outerwear was deconstructed into halter dresses and skimpy, snap-covered overalls pieced together like jigsaw puzzles.

Maybe it was the late hour—the show started after 10 p.m. due to daylong rain and traffic delays—but more than one editor wondered aloud if the audience had inadvertently stepped into a strip club. However, a few sharp-looking pieces built on the brand's strengths: notably the brightly color-blocked motorcycle jackets, cropped or hip-length and belted, that closed the show.

Burberry

Christopher Bailey's formula is to find a piece of British iconography to match the mood of the season, and then apply it to the fundamentals of Burberry's heritage. His best summer coat came narrowish in front with a barrel-shaped volume curving from a yoke in back. Otherwise, there were cute variations on Bailey's short swing jackets, softly belled skirts, and his version of the season's shirtdress. As for the bags, they came big, squashy, and belted with a signature trench-buckle in silver python.