Hemlines dropped mid-level between knee and ankle while Gucci recreated the 1920's Jazz Age and other designers returned to drop-waisted flapper-style dresses, with fur-lined coats, jackets, shoes and booties, and even bags.
A model for Byblos
The male-staple suit, pioneered by Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich, found pride of place in Dolce and Gabbana's collection, who threw in a Scottish Highlands flavour with plaids, tartans and small checks.
The fashion duo even showcased flowing tartan gowns with full sleeves in matte shades, and skirts with long hemlines that would have won a nod from the sensible Miss Jean Brodie as practical garments;
"I've been a Dolce and Gabbana addict ever since they launched and I still wear their clothes that I've had for years," gushed French actress Fanny Ardant, who attended the D&G show with Italian star Monica Belluci and supermodel Naomi Campbell.
"Their style is ageless," Ardant, partner of late film-maker Francois Truffaut, told AFP.
A model for Byblos
While the flamboyant pair this week pared down their usual high-voltage sexy excess, Gucci and Fendi went the whole hog on unadulterated 10,000-watt decadence with gold tints on fur, extravagant jacket embroidery and gold disks punctuating boots and bags.
Gucci's unbridled taste of luxury spilt over to dresses with bling-bling glam on shoulders and hems, tops tipped with golden epaulettes, and drop-waisted flapper dresses contemporised by bold prints.
Neither did the house scrimp on fur, laying out astrakan, mink, fox and coyote in jackets and full length coats and even in a miniature treasure chest evening bag.
Fendi designer Karl Lagerfeld for his part mixed lush jungle colours and earthy tones and peacock tail patterns, while reworking the house's signature baguette bag which became an ersatz hit when it was unveiled some 10 years ago.
Miuccia Prada, the first among the Italian designers to sign up to a global campaign to drive fur out of fashion, reconfirmed her status as high priestess of elegance with a delicate Spanish inspired lacy range that married oomph with class.
The Spanish-gypsy look was also revisited by Giorgio Armani who churned out billowing peasant skirts and dresses on black net with strategically placed iridescent flowers, set off with heavily-fringed mantilla-like shawls.
His trademark flair for cuts and construction were revealed in flowing slacks with high pinched waists that tapered faultlessly and were sometimes adorned with Texas-sized bows at the side.
A model for Fendi
Nostalgia for the 60s and 70s also abounded: Emilio Pucci's technicolour shaded invitation card showed an Audrey Hepburn lookalike sporting ski-wear, Gucci favoured fringed boots and jackets, and Burberry paraded cocoon coats and a Sergeant Pepper's jacket.
Versace, meanwhile, stuck obstinately to its signature effects: eye popping shades, ornate designs and decollete gowns with plunging backlines.
Donatella Versace maintained her favourite colours: purple, fuchsia and canary in short skirts held up by cross or single straps, and she flirted with pleats while also churning out some classic draped gowns with Doric lines.
This season's shows were high on theatrical-style drama, with Roberto Cavalli recreating the chateau at Versailles to show off his designs and Kenzo designer Antonio Marras' offering a Leben & Theater (Love and Theatre) show that had live chamber music and a heart-stopping finale -- a model gliding midair over the ramp, held by a man hanging on a wire.
Dynamic designer duo Frankie Morello roped in actors to recreate a rehab clinic on stage as models strutted clothes for coke-snorting princesses of excess who want to redeem their lifestyles.
Young designer Giaia Trussardi, who works at the old Italian maison that bears her name, said showbiz was de rigeur on today's catwalks
"Earlier shows used to be just models walking along. But shows nowadays have to make people fantasize," she said.
