Hard times in Italy didn’t stop designers from going glamorous with a twenty-first-century belle époque, writes Angelo Flaccavento

TOP: Fendi. ABOVE: Gucci, by Tom Ford. ABOVE RIGHT AND RIGHT: Prada.

Expectations were high on Tom Ford's farewell effort for the Florentine house, and nobody wanted to miss the show

ANGOUR, PRETTINESS and a touch of decadence run across the Milanese winter 2004–5 catwalks, heralding a fashion message strong on luxe and lavish elegance. The ’20s are heavily in the air, and so are the frilly ’50s, with enough tweeds and chiffons, brocades and beads, satins and, most of all, luscious furs around to keep stylish women fashionably busy for the next six months and beyond.
   In spite of grim times, or maybe because of them, designers painted the picture of a new belle époque, complete with hourglass silhouette, reminding us all that fashion has a lot to do with seduction, and seduction is a game probably best played dressed up, and in high heels. References to the perfectly put-together elegance of the past—a time when women didn't dare touch the door without an impeccably coiffed head, gloved hands and small necessities ensconced in demure clutch bag—were at times almost literal, but carried out with a modern, cheerful spirit. The couture-like short coat with three-quarter-length sleeves made a noteworthy comeback, together with redingotes, lamb chop sleeves optional.
   Shape-wise, the accent is again on the waist, cinched and nipped to breathtaking perfection, while fluttering hemlines often ended right at the knee in perfect ladylike fashion. The overall effect is unapologetically feminine. Period.
   The season's hot ticket was Gucci. Expectations were high on Tom Ford's farewell effort for the Florentine house, and nobody wanted to miss the show. When the Texan designer took the role of creative director 10 years ago, the house of Gucci had admittedly no fashion identity. He literally built it all up from scratch, perfecting a style that is now utterly iconic. It's a formula centred around an almost predatory, sexually-confident brand of glamour.
   The collection Ford delivered for winter openly looked like a “best of”, with quasi-literal replicas or flashbacks of some of the past 10 years’ best numbers. It was almost as if Ford was paying homage to himself. The white coat with black leather ribbon belt from 1999 was there,only this time the funnel neck led the way to a plush collar cut from a whole fox skin. Then there was the petrol-blue smoking jacket from the first collection—around 1995—worn over beaded trousers. Later came the Halston-y white jersey, second-skin dresses from 1997, morphed into something more complicated via artful draping.
   Darts and complicated cuts, with strips of different fabrics contouring the torso-like sculpture, showed off Ford's technical expertise, which has far surpassed initial expectations. His touches defined a body-hugging silhouette built on jackets cropped at hip level, knee-length skirts and funnel trousers.

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