Ferragamo celebrates a Rainbow, Marni a blossoming garden

Milan, September 23 - Restraint may have been the storyline in many women's ready-to-wear collections that debuted at the Milan shows that wrapped up Monday.

Yet this softly choreographed dance - often shown to a 1970s beat - left the catwalk when Dolce & Gabbana arrived, with sex and death dominating a Mediterranean-inspired collection for spring-summer 2015.

The duo's beloved Sicily, with its Baroque art and strong religious roots, met Spain's bull fighting and flamenco for a Blood and Sand effect.

Spain blended in with Sicily via the black net sheath, the severe yet sexy black skirt suits, and black corsets matched with thigh-high black stockings.

The matador's jacket inspired several pieces in a collection also dominated by red, the colour of blood in the bullring.

That same red was seen in carnations embroidered everywhere, from dresses with fringed black hems and sleeves, to a partly sheer skirt mixed with a horizontally striped T-shirt.

The show was high on drama though the streamlined silhouettes and romantic patterns and embroideries spoke a straightforward and universal language.

And restraint also left the building at Emilio Pucci where Peter Dundas sent down the catwalk his unique, colorful take on the 1970s.

Boldly colored tie-dye maxi dresses, bead-encrusted and embroidered mini dresses, fringed crochet ponchos, peasant tops with shorts and suede pants with lightning bolts down the side gave edge and a fresh appeal to a decade which has provided a wealth of inspiration for Dundas well before it became such a hit in Milan.

Another colorful and vintage inspiration, the wedge Rainbow sandal designed by Salvatore Ferragamo for Judy Garland in 1938, was the star of the Ferragamo show - a trip down memory lane fit for joyful clothes.

Shoes - the iconic wedge, subtly updated in grey suede, snakeskin mules and classic boots - were the starting point for a collection that tapped into the Florentine house's heritage while striking a chord with the contemporary Ferragamo woman.

Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti designed soft below-the-knee skirts, knitwear, capes and thread-fringing on feminine jackets.

Superb workmanship was just as interesting a story, with a reported 40 hours of work needed to craft a ribbed knit dress or snakeskin pieces in the shape of a coat dress or as an embellishment on streamlined dresses and cropped jackets.

The collection's neutral palette was interspersed with bright orange, turquoise and green to give light to "the new frontier of luxury" which lies entirely on the "craftsmanship and distinctiveness" of clothes, said Giornetti. A trip down memory lane was also du jour at Marni, which celebrated its 20th anniversary with a flower market at Milan's Rotonda della Besana on the last day of the shows.

The brand, controlled over the past two years by Diesel founder Renzo Rosso through his holding company Only the Brave, has turned strong silhouettes, prints, a play on fabrics and bold accessories into a one-of-a-kind style which appeared more fit for an art gallery opening rather than a red carpet.

Founder and creative designer Consuelo Castiglioni's collection for next spring was no exception.

Part glamour, part utilitarian, the creative designer took the label a step further with monastic pieces - including a long white linen shift with a black judo belt - while returning to its origins with vintage Marni prints on jacquard silk.

Statement coat-dresses, leather jackets bonded with lacquered flowers, and asymmetrical skirts were cut in sculptural silhouettes which quoted Japan as well as Bhutan, where Castiglioni has recently travelled - mixing citations from the past with a very on-brand ability to see into the future.

Marni was one of the first labels to use chunky jewels on daywear - part modern art and part ethnic.

Mixed with strappy sandals, retro prints and a play on texture - which produced outfits erupting into a triumph of white cotton ruffles or chiffon-on-canvas ruching to create "summer fur", as described by the designer - the Marni signature look is coming full circle next spring.