Sunday morning came early after a long night of Dolce festivities, and was greeted with a comfortably chic collection from Bottega Veneta. Fabrics were crumpled and paper thin. Even pieces made of washed suede and punched leather felt summer appropriate. Many of the shirts featured closures that zipped off to the side of the neck, and these were often paired with white corduroy of impossible delicateness, almost papery in its finish. The standout suits from the show were pieced together from various organic-shaped sections of slightly different fabric. But this was not typical patchwork in which the pieces would have been sewn onto a weight-adding under layer; instead the different shapes were stitched directly together maintaining the appropriate breeziness.

To a fully electro’d-out soundtrack, the Emporio Armani boys wore lots of leather, some of it in various textures, some of it embossed. Various pieces featured sheer seems accentuating shape, and some layers were fully sheer, adding peaks of subtle and not-so-subte sexiness. The finale began with a full-wall projection of the Steven Klein video for Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro,” in the middle of which a troupe of leather men, wearing the same Emporio-designed pieces from the video, marched out to great cheers.

The rolling clouds projected onto the ceilings and reflected on the mirrored runways, and the Tropicana/bongo drum sound track created the precise atmosphere indicated by Massimiliano Giornetti very roaring 20s collection for Ferragamo. Silky pants were wide legged and paired with well tailored jackets. Vertical strips and belted waists further emphasized the silhouette. As expected the fabrics used in the suiting were outstanding, particularly a few ventless pieces with a knit-wear feel to them.

Billed as a presentation, the McQueen Spring 2011 collection was more of an informal, open-seating, short-runway show. For obvious reasons, it was an emotional experience, and the tranquil but grand music felt perfectly appropriate. The collection itself was undeniably British in its playfulness; for the most part it stayed away from any sort of dark influences. It did reference some past collections, for instance the degradé prints that have been a big hit. Of course the casting felt perfect, with “characters” included that were not seen in the rest of the Milan shows.

Moncler Gamme Bleu loves a concept, and this time around, designer Thom Brown went with the bicycle. The show began with be-caped models charging down onto the circular track of a sports stadium, racing around to booming music. The rest of the models then marched out in various sportified Thom Brown pieces. Particularly nice were jackets—including those of the suit variety—with draw string cinched waist hems. The show ended with all of the models mounting a line of bikes parked in the middle of the field and racing them out of the stadium to victory.

The manner in which Miuccia Prada can take seemingly simple ideas and transform them into iconic pieces on such a regular basis is pretty astounding. So she did for the latest Prada men’s collection. There was something suggestive of surf motif. Oakley-inspired glasses were worn round the neck as accessories. Boots and shoes featuring thick stacked woven soles are bound to become must-haves. Horizontal striped sweaters, made to feel top-heavy with a thicker stroke toward the neck, seemed perfect. All of this was set in contrast with a cage-like, starkly modern runway and a soundtrack of brilliant samples including Bauhaus’s “Bella Lugosi’s Dead.”

The evening finished up with a grandiose show from Roberto Cavalli set in a splendid outdoor courtyard. As guests were seated, Mr. Cavalli himself held court, granting interviews to an enrapt cadre of local Italian television celebrity presenters. The actual runway show kicked off with three Macbethian, black-clad models strutting out to light afire a giant cauldron, after which the glammed-up wardrobe of a particular kind of playboy came out, each look accented with a bit of cowboy flair and/or 60s psychedelia prints in blues and purples.

KEYWORDS: milan fashion week, runway, shows