Donatella Versace wows Milan

It was down to Donatella Versace to put the sex and glamour back into Milan Fashion Week on Thursday, after a week where sex appeal has been thin on the ground. The Versace show started demurely, with chic pencil skirts and tailored bomber jackets, but came to a stunning close with a series of goddess-like gowns in grape, champagne and rose-pink silk chiffon.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, also showing on Thursday, continued the generally downbeat mood of the week in which the normally flamboyant Roberto Cavalli had plumped for modest prom-frocks and Gucci unveiled loose, floor-length dresses. D&G showed long corduroy dresses, tweed ballgowns and flat caps. Their inspiration, they said, was "the return of warm, comfortable clothing".