By Katie Wright

So in the blink of eye Milan Fashion Week came and went last week. There was a particularly high frequency of big shows crammed into the weekend thanks to a certain Mrs Wintour, whose every whim must, of course, be obeyed. Since the US Vogue editor in chief chose to limit her stay in the Italian fashion capital for just three days, accordingly the schedule was rejigged. If ever you needed proof of her influence, this was it. So what did the powerhouses have to show Anna this season? Here’s a synopsis of the headlines.

Sticking to what they do best – sexy tailoring - Dolce and Gabanna opened with about a million variations of the black suit jacket, and closed with about a million more models parading in said jackets and very little else. The show was beautifully styled – signature leopard print was mismatched with snowy polka dots on a navy pencil skirt, and the sharp tailoring was balanced with lots of womanly dresses in floral print and lace.

The mainstay of Alberta Feretti‘s collection were ornate, textured, marble-coloured dresses , plus the occasional injection of sharp and shadowy separates.

The girls at Giorgio Armani were vampire-pale with Japanese horror film hair, while the clothes were largely pitch black velvet (yep, that fabric again) and cut on the bias, with the occasional flash of colour, like this wonderfully playful bubblegum fur coat.

Frida Giannini continued her experiments in svelte boyish separates at Gucci but pants were longer and less slim on the hem. That’s not the first indication seen this season that we could be seeing the beginning of the end of the skinny jean – which would be colossal news if it actually came to pass, obviously. Great lacy cocktail dresses too.

Prada was just a bit too sensible for me this season, all practical and fit for people with curves – there was a distinct focus on the bust. Bring back the entirely impractical crystal chandelier dresses I say.

Versace lurched from the downright ugly – royal blue polo neck with flared chaps anyone? – to the out-rightly awesome i.e. super shiny wonderwoman cocktail dresses.

We got the usual lesson in perfectly crafted minimalism from Jil Sander.  My favourite piece was an adorable tailored onesie.

And finally, you can’t seriously expect anyone to believe that is actually a DRESS, can you Emilio Pucci? It really is obscenely short. And this is coming from a girl who heard the old ‘you’re not seriously going out wearing that are you?’ refrain plenty of times in her youth.

Oh right, you’ve lopped off one arm and made it see-through? Yes, that’s much more sensible, it’d make a lovely First Holy Communion dress.

Got any loves/loathes from this lot? Hit me up in the comments box…