Sharon Stone checks out Dolce & Gabbana at a laid-back Milan fashion show.

Milan Fashion Week had a pre-pandemic feel to it, with front-row A-listers and shoulder-to-shoulder sitting.

Sharon Stone has sat admiringly at Dolce & Gabbana, Rihanna, and A$AP Mob shows thus far this week. At Prada, Rocky wore Gucci, while Kim Kardashian wore Prada.

There was a sense of return to a new normal, one that now included the war on Europe’s eastern frontier, after two years of a digital-physical mix, social distancing, and travel restrictions that kept many outside buyers and editors away. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people marched for peace in Milan’s famous Piazza Duomo, which was crisscrossed by weekend shoppers and fashionistas.

The following are some of the highlights from Saturday’s largely womenswear previews for next autumn and winter:

DOLCE&GABBANA MAKES A REAL-LIFE AVATAR

Do you want to be your own personal avatar in real life? Check out Dolce & Gabbana’s newest collection, which brings the metaverse to the runway.

When there’s a real-life version of a gleaming crimson mini-dress with exaggeratedly puffy sleeves or a shaggy Yeti-style coat in colourful stripes or checks, why leave all the pleasure to the digital universe?

Whatever the real-life persona, sexiness is the keyword of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s latest collection. Sheer stockings with garters are the season’s mainstay, peeking out of low hemlines, sheer lace skirts, and even, bizarrely, one-legged pants. Yes, it appears that in the D&G metaverse, innovation will be advantageous.

Corsets emerged as silky outlines on fitting black dresses, tops, and jackets, as well as defining the form of several coats and outfits. Sleek fitting shirts and leggings with glittering finishes were worn beneath cutout dresses and skirts to let you transition from one realm to the other. Stilettos and large 3-D-style sunglasses completed the outfit. A succession of pod-like clothes — coats, jackets, and knitwear — meant to be worn protectively over the head, almost like a nun’s habit — also displayed offbeat comedy.

Sharon Stone, together with Sam Webb, Lady Kitty Spencer, Adam Senn, and rapper Gunna, sat in the front row. She nodded appreciatively as she passed by, mouthing “Gorgeous” at a strappy faux fur black dress and “Wow” at a strappy faux fur black dress.

The designers recently declared that they would no longer be using fur this year, but that they would continue to collaborate with furrier craftsmen on synthetic substitutes in order to retain the quality of their work.

NEW BEGINNINGS OF MARNI

Each Marni look materialised out of nowhere on an ill-defined runway inside an abandoned building with dirt flooring and overgrown vegetation.

The models strolled through the throng as though dazed, each being led by a hooded torchman dressed in a costume of trailing hemmed pants and spikey plastic shoes.

The models wore a design by creative director Francesco Rizzo as well as an item from their own closet, as part of Rizzo’s increasing cooperation with a network of collaborators across the brand. The sluggish, uneven procession was given a zombie threat by elaborate headdresses such as teddy bears sprouting out of knitting hats, twisted felt and wool, or wire demon’s ears.

Rizzo entered the presentation in the middle, wearing a geometric sweater he crocheted in two days, damaged pants from the new collection, and a grandfather’s used tuxedo jacket.

“What we wear becomes the definition of who we are.” Afterwards, Rizzo added, “Sometimes you forget about these things.” “Everyone has brought their personal belongings. Each of them is cooperating in their own unique manner. This is all part of the fun of what we’re up to at Marni.”

Under a beautiful blue sky, the audience streamed out of the dark cavernous chamber into an improvised feast of fruit and cakes, bread and cheeses, served on mismatched china and silver.

Izzy Adams, a Los Angeles-based collaborator, wore a handmade pleated flowery dress designed by Rizzo that appeared to have split and frayed after a tumble with a can of blue paint. She wore it over a childhood T-shirt with palm palms that used to fit but is now a crop top. It’s her fourth time performing with Marni. “There are a lot of pretty intriguing folks on board,” she stated as she stood on the buffet table with a glass of wine in her hand.

THE NEW MINIMALISM OF JIL SANDER

With creative movements and exquisite tailoring that give the silhouette sweep, designers Lucie and Luke Meier are reimagining Jil Sanders’ simplicity.

Bell-shaped jackets hovered over small skirts in the new collection; straight coats with built-in capes were worn over short flouncy skirts, and flat bows embellish shift dresses on the shoulders or across the front. Large V bibs or nautical lapels were used to define necklines. The fabrics are generally textured wools and crepes, although there were also soft silky dresses with precise foulard ties at the neckline.

In remarks, the designers noted, “Every outfit has the majesty and elegance of couture.”

The models went around a runway adorned with classical sculpture, reflecting the collection’s calm meditative tone. Off-white, butter yellow, pink, and lilac gold were among the soft colour pallet.

DIVINE PRINTS OF ARBESSER

The patterns for this season’s collection were inspired by a heavenly intervention, according to Milan designer Arthur Arbesser. The priest who christened the Vienna-born designer happened to notice that he was the costume designer for a Berlin performance of “Der Rosenkavalier.”

“After four decades, he recognised my name and thought I may be interested in images of Baroque cloth prints in a museum in Salzburg, so he sent me the CD,” Arbesser said.

Arbesser combined the pictures, which were often simply shreds of baroque flowers in a variety of hues, into a patchwork print, covered with his own brush strokes and components from. Another print features streaks of colour and strong black scratches from his own water paint scratch sheet.

Wrap skirts with sporty boxy jackets, lovely dresses with angel sleeves covered with handknit scarves and embellishments were among the looks he put together in a forgiving silhouette. The look was completed with a Dante-inspired cap, which was tucked neatly under the chin in honour of the great Italian’s 700th birthday, which was commemorated in September.