THERE WERE FIVE memorable looks from the autumn-winter women’s wear shows that wrapped up Monday in Milan, Italy.

KARL’S KINKY BOOTS

The most eye-catching element of Karl Lagerfeld’s acclaimed wave-theme collection for Fendi was a series of thigh-high boots in materials so supple they wrinkled like woolly tights. US model and TV star Kendall Jenner sported a ruched leather pair.

PRADA’S KEYS

Many of the models showing a collection that Prada badly needed to be a hit were sporting bundles of oversized gold keys. The unlikely accessories were intended to signal that these were women with responsibilities but mixed reviews suggested they might not unlock a revival in the fortunes of the flagging brand.

Prada’s answer to stagnating sales was unveiled on Thursday with a handbag-heavy seasonal line that the company’s executives hopes will spark a revival in the fashion heavyweight’s flagging fortunes.

Miuccia Prada’s latest offering had a post-war feel about it, with sailor- or nurse-style white caps abounding alongside cape-shaped coats and pencil skirts designed to emphasise the slender waists of more austere times.

Leather coats and jackets, which came with fur trimmings, tweed overcoats, argyle-patterned tights and elbow-touching woolly gloves also harked back to a less centrally heated era.

Prada could do with this collection being a major hit after two consecutive years of stagnating sales and no sign of an end to the slowdown in China that is hitting it particularly hard.

Against that backdrop, it was perhaps significant that almost every model who strutted down the catwalk at Prada’s Milan HQ Thursday was carrying, in a variety of ways, one of the company’s pricey handbags, the accessory which more than any other has powered its growth over the years.

And in another telling sign of the times, two of those bags are to be made available to buy starting today rather than being held back from release when the collection goes on sale in four months time

D&G’S FAIRYTALE FINALE

Dolce and Gabbana applied the princess principle and turned the glitter factor up to 11 for the finale of their fairytale-theme collection, sending out a spangled squadron of models in mini-dresses for what was definitely the most sparkling moment of the week.

The idea was “to evoke a dream-like feeling in every woman”, the designers said.

“Every woman wants to be a princess deep inside, albeit a modern one, a princess that instead of waiting in her castle for her prince to come and give her the kiss of true love, is independent and looks for her prince herself.”

In developing their vision of a new generation of princesses, D&G said they had been particularly inspired by Disney’s 2013 hit “Frozen”, a film in which the main character Elsa’s magical powers are rejected in a way some have interpreted as an allegory for society’s treatment of homosexuals.

“The new girls are not only independent, but have a personal point of view: First of all, they consider themselves as individuals; what makes them different is their attitude,” the designers said.

The show culminated in a glittering finale of 95 models dressed in mid-thigh mini-dresses covered in fuchsia, silver and pink sequins and crystals.

Italy’s debate over civil unions has proved bruising for two men, who, particularly because of Dolce’s roots in socially conservative Sicily, have been pioneers as prominent gay men in Italian public life.

Dolce caused a furore last year by saying he didn’t like the idea of gay couples seeking to have children through surrogate mothers and that he felt every child should have a mother and a father.

Gabbana disagreed, but defended his former life partner’s right to his opinion, leading to accusations of betrayal from the gay community and brand-damaging criticism from the likes of Elton John and Victoria Beckham.

The duo last month unveiled a line of handbags and T-shirts celebrating diverse family models in what some interpreted as an attempt to undo the impact of last year’s spat.

As things have turned out, Dolce and Gabbana’s different perspectives on gay parenthood were mirrored by broader Italian society’s reservations about allowing gays to adopt the biological children of their partners.

The bill which got through the Senate and now has to be approved by the Chamber of Deputies approves legal partnerships but does not ensure equal adoption rights for homosexuals.

Recent polls suggest 70 per cent of Italians think the parliamentary fudge was the right outcome.

ARMANI’S DARK SIDE

Black was the dominant non-colour in both the Emporio and Giorgio Armani collections, the latter being largely restricted to one material: velvet. The Milanese maestro, 81 going on 29, said he wanted to “wipe the slate clean” and address the prevailing confusion he spies elsewhere.

Giorgio Armani showed his velvet touch on Monday as he brought down the curtain on a Milan fashion week heralded as marking a revival of the suit-based women’s wear he pioneered in the 1980s.

Velvet has always been one of the Milanese maestro’s favourite materials and it is ubiquitous in his autumn-winter collection: black as the darkest night and, as he put it in his collection notes, dense, tactile and mysterious.

Having treated his fans to an unusually extravagant range of colours in his spring and summer collections six months ago, this marked a return to business as usual for Armani.

The first two models to emerge from backstage set the tone – the first in a tightly-tailored three-quarter-length black velvet coat over predominately pink slacks, the second in a cropped, pink suit jacket worn atop black velvet trousers.

A geometric-patterned shawl was a rare break in the sea of black. Many coats were verging on the cape spectrum while a charcoal grey quilted jacket was given a hoodless parka cut.

Floral print slacks had a pyjama feel about them, while black cropped jackets were adorned by glittery sun dial-style back patches or bibs.

There were also stylised flowers and black-tie detailing: a decorative lacquer collar with a long tie nonchalantly thrown over dresses and jackets, as well as nude fishnet ankle boots accented with black toe caps.

Even a handful of beige and checked suits came with black velvet trimmings.

Armani tends to eschew most catwalk trends, but here he embraced the one that has seen male models appear increasingly in women’s wear shows. He sent out a posse that, with their chunky fur-style jackets, looked as if they were auditioning for a part alongside Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant” or in Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight”.

At the age of 81, Armani is still trying to “look at reality with a new eye”, the collection notes said, in this case a “dreamy and emotional” one.

BAG BUGS MADE REAL

The most unlikely occupants of the front row were Piro-chan and Bug-kun, life-size versions of Fendi’s bag bugs, as inspired by Japan’s kigurumi (costume characters). The cuddly pink and blue mascots are here to stay.

Furs abounded, as so often with Fendi, but here they were jazzed up with vibrant dashes of colour. The collection also drew inspiration from Japan, generally in its fluidity and particularly in the form of the flowers on a baby doll dress that were modelled on an 18th-century Japanese wallpaper print.

But the nod to Japan that delighted Fendi fans most was the presence of Piro-chan and her male counterpart Bug-kun – mascots modelled on the furry handbag charms which have become cult items in Japan, a key market for the Rome-based house.

BRITISH FASHION giant Burberry Prorsum put the sparkle into London Fashion Week Monday, before Scottish designer Christopher Kane took his star-studded audience on a journey into the bizarre.

Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey said the collection, which will be drip fed into stores from June, was inspired by a “patchwork” of influences.

Recurring themes included cashmere overcoats with military style epaulettes and brass buttons, brushed mohair checked coats and dazzling mini-dresses with hand-stitched sequins in floral patterns and psychedelic swirls.

“The collection is all the things that I love, a patchwork of all different things from the Mitford sisters to the military and a little bit of glam-rock,” Bailey told reporters back stage after the show, referring to six sisters who fascinated and scandalised British society of the 1930s.

Shares in the luxury label have fallen by 30 per cent from their peak, hit by falling demand in China.

Bailey said he hoped the latest collection, which is designed for wear all year-round, will tap into other emerging international markets.

“This is a collection of clothes that will be delivered in stores in very hot climates and very cold climates,” he said. “You’ve got big, heavy cashmere coats and you’ve also got very light dresses.”

The collection is already available on pre-order and the one shown at the next London Fashion Week in September can be bought immediately following the show and will combine menswear and womenswear.

“It feels like the fashion industry is supposed to embrace change and this format shows you can evolve and change,” Bailey said.

Among other items on show before an audience which included Naomi Campbell and “X-Men” actor Nicholas Hoult were pleated skirts, green glossy python coats, fur-trimmed leather jackets and iridescent lami dresses.

The show was soundtracked by a live performance from British singer/songwriter Jake Bugg, and the indie look inspired the menswear section as the label prepares to merge its collections.

Bailey delivered tracksuit tops with exaggerated full-zipper collars, and combined tracksuit trousers with blazers and skinny ties.

While Burberry trumpeted |innovation from the boardroom, Scottish designer Christopher Kane delivered innovation on the catwalk during his show at the cavernous Turbine Hall in London’s Tate Modern Museum.

Samantha Cameron, wife of prime minister David Cameron, had a front-row seat as Kane, renowned for his use of unusual materials, produced a collection based on the “notion of lost and found”.

Items included camel-coloured coats made from corrugated cardboard, rain bonnets resembling discarded plastic carrier bags, decaying woolly jumpers barely held together with metal pins and dresses that trailed into individual, fraying strips.

Earthy tones, deep reds and greys dominated the palette, harshly interrupted by one shocking orange creation.

“The unconventional, transformative journey of the Christopher Kane girl continues… in a collection that celebrates the lost and found,” Kane wrote in his introduction to the collection.

“The discarded detritus of glamour is accumulated and elevated to new heights,” added the designer, who won Britain’s “dress of the year” in 2013.

Sunday, meanwhile, saw the return of iconic fashion label Alexander McQueen to the London Fashion Week catwalk on Sunday for the first time in 14 years with a collection by British designer Sarah Burton.

Models on a labyrinthine catwalk presented flowing embroidered dresses with vivid butterfly motifs, glittery hairpieces and striking |winter jackets.

The event at Lawrence Hall, a 1920s exhibition venue in central London, attracted some of the biggest names in fashion, including Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of US Vogue.

The label’s founder McQueen, who committed suicide in 2010, was honoured last year with a retrospective at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and became its most visited exhibition.

Burton joined his company in 1996 and was made head of womenswear design in 2000.

Burton worked alongside McQueen for more than 14 years and was appointed creative director of the brand in May 2010.

The label, which usually shows in Paris, broadcast its one-off return to London on Sunday evening live on Twitter.

Once a relatively small event on the international fashion circuit, London has built a reputation for invention and creativity, buoyed by Britain’s growing fashion industry which now supports almost 800,000 jobs.

Many of this year’s shows have been streamed live across Britain on 60 outdoor screens, including a giant one in London’s Piccadilly Circus. Organisers say they could reach a potential audience of |35 million,

The event follows on the heels |of the New York version, with the fashion world shifting to Milan and then Paris next month.