Milan Fashion Week: Missoni S/S 2012

Missoni provided quite the serene treat this afternoon with a collection held alfresco After the theatre of Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni provided quite the serene treat this afternoon with a collection held alfresco – but, entitled Sunrise Birds, that didn’t mean the Missoni girl was any less up for

a party than Dolce's. She is.

The Missoni muse next summer is, we were told, a free spirit, charming and spontaneous – and Margherita Missoni wafting around in a draped ochre dress to greet her guests was the perfect example.
"I like the idea of the free spirit woman. It’s not the gypsy thing, she’s a modern bohemian, she’s still sexy and contemporary," said Vogue’s Fran Burns. Indeed, where Peter Dundas at Emilio Pucci went all gypsy-inspired on us, Missoni went more flamenco with frills adorning every edge and hip and neckline – they came on swimwear, on blazers and to create swathes around sheerly knitted dresses.

It was blue in every sense – from ink and aqua to royal and cerulean. Knits hung loosely off shoulders to echo the bias cuts and asymmetric designs beneath – some knitted in such bright yellows they looked like pineapples (and given the foody themes emerging in Milan this week, may well have been).

But aside from frills, there were tassels and handkerchief hems of vivid scarf prints – a strong trend to have emerged thus far – and not just worn one at a time, layered up around the neck and trailing behind. Sheer and summer appropriate, this was a collection made in mind for staying out all night in. The colours, too, reflected this party girl spontaneous spirit – bright magenta, lime, orange, yellow and green.

Not to be outdone by the boldness of the clothes above were the shoes – adorned in plastic flowers and with heels of plexiglass. "The shoes and bags were really beautiful, as were the accessories," added Fran.A special mention should also go to the very massive earrings.