Making love, not war, on the runway
Suzy Menkes International Herald Tribune
MILAN Can thigh-high hemlines, bright colors and bold patterns pep up the somber retail and political climate? That was the question posed in Milan as two Italian design houses faced off in the spring/summer 2003 season.
Gucci versus Pucci was the story of the weekend, while Dolce Gabbana's steamy show Sunday put sex high on the fashion agenda.
At Gucci, Tom Ford went back to his basic instinct - returning to the sexed-up image that was his starting point in reviving the company 10 years ago.
With skirts so brief that Gucci underpants looked like the latest line in product placement, Ford sent out a sharp show that hit one note - but a strong one.
After two seasons exploring romantic themes with soft, baggy clothes at Gucci, Ford brought the body back into focus.

'It's sexy, strong, glamorous - and very, very Gucci," said Ford before a techno version of Beatles music burst out on the soundtrack and a model in a short white coat with a whiff of the 1960s walked the runway.
"Sex is important!" announced Stefano Gabbana as the models were laced backstage into erotic dresses or squeezed into stretch silver outfits, studded and buckled like a bikers' beauty contest.
Before a front row that included the rap entrepeneur Damon Dash, Puff Daddy with a cherry-sized diamond earring and Jade Jagger in a laced-up D G dress, top models from the 1980s to today strutted their stuff.
"SEX" spelled out in metallic chokers summed up this merry show that had a breezy freshness to go with the ocean-liner stage set of chains and ropes. Striped shirts with one sleeve and toga dresses falling off the shoulder melded with the buckled pants and punk accessories in a mix of old and new that was funky and fun.
When in doubt, most Italian designers turn up the sex quotient. Even MaxMara sauced up its signature pea jackets and trench coats with bra tops, barely-there skirts and S M sandals. Elvis crooned "All Shook Up" on the soundtrack, but for all the screaming parakeet colors - yellow, orange, scarlet and grass green - the aggressive sexiness, following in the tracks of Prada's last season, looked like a runway veneer on nice, wearable clothes.
Alessandro Dell'Acqua served up steamy sex. His models smoldered in boudoir lingerie outfits, all peach satin, lavender chiffon, black lace and acres of bared flesh. Strong looks were toga dresses, falling off one shoulder in fashionable deshabillee and fine knits in lovat green.
What's the story with the ultra short skirts that are appearing all over Milan? Pundits have always claimed that hemlines dip when stock prices tank.
But counting on optimistic designers to levitate the share indexes and counteract the bear market may be asking too much of mere fashion.