Black Dominates at Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo Back Goes to Old Hollywood

Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana on February 25, 2023 during the Fall-Winter 2023-2024 Women's Collections as part of the Fashion Week in Milan. (AFP)
Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana on February 25, 2023 during the Fall-Winter 2023-2024 Women's Collections as part of the Fashion Week in Milan. (AFP)
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Black Dominates at Dolce & Gabbana, Ferragamo Back Goes to Old Hollywood

Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana on February 25, 2023 during the Fall-Winter 2023-2024 Women's Collections as part of the Fashion Week in Milan. (AFP)
Models present creations for Dolce & Gabbana on February 25, 2023 during the Fall-Winter 2023-2024 Women's Collections as part of the Fashion Week in Milan. (AFP)

Designs in black dominated the catwalk at Dolce & Gabbana's Milan Fashion Week show on Saturday, with the Italian luxury label offering plenty of dresses, suits and coats for women's wardrobes next winter.

The duo Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana opened their autumn/winter 2023-2024 show with a black sheer dress accessorized with a furry collar and black gloves.

Then came trouser suits and coats alongside sheer, and sometimes embroidered, frocks in lace, tulle and chiffon. Cropped black jackets and trousers were worn with white shirts and black ties in the collection called "Sensual".

"Sensuality is an important aspect of femininity that has nothing to do with being sexy," the two designers said in show notes.

"Sensuality is intrinsically connected to an inner experience that makes women spontaneous and natural. Free of any fabrication."

Dolce & Gabbana also had shiny gold and silver designs, including draped dresses and belted macs. Gold collars stood out on black lace tops.

There was also a selection of all-red looks - outfits, tights and shoes - and white satin or chiffon dresses, trouser suits and coats.

Detailing included shiny black crystals and black feathers on collars.

At Ferragamo, designer Maximilian Davis took fashionistas back to old Hollywood, taking inspiration from film stars who worked with the Italian brand for the collection called "Cinema".

Models wore sleek tailored coats and jackets, shimmering short dresses, and trousers slit at the ankle.

Some outfits had batwing sleeves or draped detailing. Accessories included large bags and shoes with angular heels for women. Davis' color palette included blues, white, greys, red and yellow as well as patterned designs.

"It’s how Ferragamo started, making shoes for films in the 1930s, and that grew into building relationships with movie stars like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s,” Davis said in show notes.

"I was interested in using their glamour and beauty, and their way of dressing, as a reference, but looking at how we could make it feel modern for today."

Milan Fashion Week wraps on Monday.



'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Puts Spotlight on Italy's Fashion Capital

An installation of the new movie 'Devil Wears Prada 2' is displayed at La Rinascente shopping center, in Milan, Italy, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
An installation of the new movie 'Devil Wears Prada 2' is displayed at La Rinascente shopping center, in Milan, Italy, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
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'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Puts Spotlight on Italy's Fashion Capital

An installation of the new movie 'Devil Wears Prada 2' is displayed at La Rinascente shopping center, in Milan, Italy, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
An installation of the new movie 'Devil Wears Prada 2' is displayed at La Rinascente shopping center, in Milan, Italy, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Prada may have a title role in “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which premieres in Italy’s fashion capital on Thursday, but fashion at large gets a spotlight and Milan a supporting role.

The film evokes Prada without being about the storied fashion house that has become synonymous with Milan. In homage, Meryl Streep and Anna Wintour both wear Prada on a current Vogue cover celebrating the film about a demanding fashion editor.

But when part of the movie was shot in Milan during fashion week last September, a Dolce & Gabbana runway show, not Prada, was the backdrop for a scene featuring Streep and Stanley Tucci.

‘’When you think of Prada, when you think of the Prada brand, you also think of Milan. This is obviously good for the fashion system,’’ said Tommaso Sacchi, Milan’s counselor for culture. “It’s a film that is good for the city.’’

That enthusiasm is spilling over to a pop-up at Milan’s main department store, where aficionados of the film and fashionistas have flocked to take selfies at a replica of fictitious fashion editor Miranda Priestly’s desk and against the backdrop of a faux Runway magazine mock-up cover.

VIPs attending the film's Italian premiere on Thursday, ahead of its global release next week, will attend a cocktail in the space.

The Rinascente CEO, Mariella Elia, said the response to the pop-up — which is announced by giant statues of the iconic red pumps outside the store — shows that people have “a desire for lightness.”

“It’s not just about buying, it’s really about reviving what fashion represents ... a desire to have a stylish flair once again, a desire for joy, too — perhaps in contrast with the current economic and international moment that humanity is experiencing,’’ The Associated Press quoted Elia as saying.

On a recent day, the space filled with people browsing limited edition T-shirts with famous phrases from the first film like, “Is there some reason my coffee isn’t here?”

Valentina Cattivelli, a professor, said she wasn’t trying to channel Priestly as she sat behind the replica of her desk. It included an inbox full of other lines from the original film, including Priestly's dismissive, “That’s all.’’

“No, I’m not so cruel in my daily life, but I appreciate her professional style and also her fashion and the taste for fashion. But not her sarcasm or cruelty, no,” Cattivelli said.

The Prada brand was founded a few steps away, in the stately Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery, by Miuccia Prada’s grandfather.

The shopping arcade today is anchored by two Prada flagship stores.

Miuccia Prada transformed the brand into a fashion juggernaut, turning the infamous ugly chic aesthetic into must-have or must-emulate looks and accessories that bring intellectual heft to runway fashion — a theme of the original movie, which offered a peek beyond fashion-world frivolity.

“There is a close relationship between the ‘Devil Wears Prada’ franchise and Prada, because by evoking Prada from the very title, it evokes a fashion that makes you dream, a fashion that makes you feel elegant, a fashion that makes you feel good, a fashion that gives you an allure,’’ said Annarita Briganti, a fashion journalist who wrote a book about Prada for Rizzoli’s Made in Italy editions.


British Retailer ASOS Moves to Recover US Tariff Costs

FILE PHOTO: Branded shopping bags are displayed in an ASOS pop-up store in London, Britain, November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Branded shopping bags are displayed in an ASOS pop-up store in London, Britain, November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
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British Retailer ASOS Moves to Recover US Tariff Costs

FILE PHOTO: Branded shopping bags are displayed in an ASOS pop-up store in London, Britain, November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Branded shopping bags are displayed in an ASOS pop-up store in London, Britain, November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

ASOS said on Thursday it has started seeking refunds for the 7 million pounds ($9.44 million) of US tariffs paid during the first half of the year, as the British retailer pursues a margin-focused turnaround plan to revive demand.

Thousands of companies around the world are filing lawsuits challenging US President Donald Trump's ⁠sweeping tariffs and seeking ⁠refunds on duties paid, after the levies were deemed illegal by the US Supreme Court in February.

Online fashion retailers such as ASOS are particularly vulnerable to duty ⁠costs on imported goods as they work to rebuild profitability after the pandemic-era expansion gave way to weakening consumer demand.

Once a standout survivor of the dotcom burst, ASOS has been trying to win back shoppers and cut costs amid stiff competition from cheaper Chinese rivals, Reuters reported.

Global retailers are now bracing ⁠for ⁠an impact from the Iran war as customer spending declines and a surge in energy prices and supply-chain snags compound costs further.

ASOS said it has taken proactive actions to help mitigate such impact, but gave no details on said actions.

The company confirmed its outlook for the full year.


L’Oreal Quarterly Sales up 6.7% on Growth in US, Emerging Markets

L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rise 6.7%. (AFP)
L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rise 6.7%. (AFP)
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L’Oreal Quarterly Sales up 6.7% on Growth in US, Emerging Markets

L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rise 6.7%. (AFP)
L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rise 6.7%. (AFP)

L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rose 6.7%, it said on Wednesday, as strong demand for premium hair products and perfume, particularly in North ‌America and ‌emerging markets, ‌more ⁠than offset weakness ⁠in the Middle East.

The Paris-based maker of Kerastase shampoo and YSL Libre perfume said ⁠total sales for ‌the ‌three months to ‌end-March came to 12.2 ‌billion euros ($14.32 billion), up 6.7% from 11.7 billion euros on ‌a like-for-like basis after slightly adjusting down ⁠last ⁠year's comparable figures.

The rise also included a 3.4% boost from overstocking ahead of an ongoing overhaul of the group's IT system.