The third stop of the Fashion Month marathon, Milan Fashion Week, has arrived. BAZAAR is selecting the top 5 looks from the most major Spring 2015 collections to break down the best of the best. Consider it your definitive guide to the runways.
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1
Dolce & Gabbana
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What other culture is as rich in matriarchal strength, confidence and black lace (and Catholic innocence/guilt) as Italy? Spain, of course. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana scooted across the Mediterranean to Spanish ports to delve into the rich history of matadors and their senoritas.
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2
Dolce & Gabbana
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White shirts were the foundation for so many looks (and focal point of their dramatic, fun finale), layered with tightly ruffled car coats and bustiers, embroidered bolero, matador and tuxedo jackets.
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3
Dolce & Gabbana
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The colors were Spain's signature red, black and white. Waist-cinched mini skirts, tunic dresses, belts, tiaras and pump heels were covered in jeweled and embroidered hearts and flowers, like something rich and opulent that Queen Catherine of Aragon would have worn when pleading with Henry VIII not to dump her.
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4
Dolce & Gabbana
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Spanish lace was translated into sheer dresses that left little to the imagination while still toed the line with modesty through long-sleeves and boy-cut knickers. Elsewhere, modern trappings like rhinestone-studded jeans and jacquard bike shorts were the duo's nod to modernity.
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5
Dolce & Gabbana
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But the Dolce & Gabbana runway is about theater and joie de vivre, best seen in the dotted flamenco ruffled ponchos, gowns and skirts or their final parade of white-shirted-red-shorted army of pretty senoritas.
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6
Salvatore Ferragamo
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Amid rumblings that his company is having economic woes, Massimiliano Giornetti stuck to his guns and showed a super luxe collection that maintained his Salvatore Ferragamo ideals: impeccable tailoring, the best materials, subtle allure. This is old-world wealth. Not nouveau.
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7
Salvatore Ferragamo
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There were body-con dresses that balanced cha-cha with elegant nicely, as skin-tight key-hole bodices fell into swingy skirts, in creams and yellows.
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8
Salvatore Ferragamo
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While the main collection was spare and minimal, focusing on banding, when Giornetti did venture into something more detailed, it stood out. Like a beaded and fringed jacket that added some tribal flare to the proceedings.
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9
Salvatore Ferragamo
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But this was a minimal moment. He specialized in body-skimming dresses with flare in creams and striated snake prints with mixes of royal blue and emerald green.
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10
Salvatore Ferragamo
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The emerald green added a much needed pop for the finale where flowing dresses featured strips of silk and fisherman knits spliced together in interesting patterns that offer a cool and different take on evening.
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11
Marni
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Every season, Consuelo Castiglioni invites fans into her fantastical world of Marni. This spring, to celebrate her 20 year milestone everyone was first treated to the Marni flower market, a one-day-only installation—complete with animal topiaries created by Colombian artisans—of gladioli, dahlia, hydrangea, aster, you name it. And nearly everything was for sale, in bags and vases stamped with classic house prints.
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12
Marni
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The flower power continued on the runways, with bright, joyful prints in signature Marni shapes. Like printed leather trenches with a little more room, tunics with architectural details, dresses and skirts extra origami folds and pintucks.
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13
Marni
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As arty and architectural as it was, that's no to say that Castiglioni doesn't know how to do the mass favorites. Her baseball jackets, for instance, were just done with gargantuan palm prints or spare graphics, and were then paired with asymmetrical wrapped skirts in complimentary prints.
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14
Marni
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Great color combinations—another house specialty—also on display, in hothouse and tropical pairings that brought those literal floral looks to the runway.
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15
Marni
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For 20 years, Consuelo Castiglioni's Marni has been a cult favorite. Read as: a little kooky, cerebral, beautifully tailored, geared for the high fashion-minded girl who could give two figs if men think she's hot...she knows she looks smart-chic. She's the kind of girl who wouldn't wait for a guy to get her flowers; she'd grow them herself, and throw in a few flamingo topiaries, too.
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16
Emilio Pucci
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Peter Dundas is clearly a fan for all those glamazon women of the late Sixties and Seventies. The starlets who waltzed through St. Tropez and the Greek Islands in looks that still inspire designers today. Think Charlotte Rampling, Jean Shrimpton and the like.
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17
Emilio Pucci
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The foundation of the wardrobe was great separates then, just supped-up with colors and prints and some hippie accouterments. This was Dundas' brief for spring, seen in the low-slung suede pants with a subtle flared leg and colorful print; crochet-printed vests and camisoles, and of course, the legion of tiered dresses.
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18
Emilio Pucci
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These dresses are made for sunny climes, their colors and prints meant for deckside brunches on the yacht or shopping in between visits to the beach.
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19
Emilio Pucci
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The colors of these gowns were bright; the silhouette dramatically flowing. And who better to illustrate the point than Naomi Campbell? They all came to a point in a halter, drawing sexy attention to the shoulder...which would be sun-kissed, naturally.
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20
Emilio Pucci
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Dundas showed a great sense of color, here, mixing peach and red; sea green and loden; pumpkin and green, and purple and shades of red. While the gowns stole the show, it would be a mistake to overlook the sex appeal of Dundas' skinny pants-and-blouse combos done in the aforementioned colors.
Nandini D'Souza Wolfe has been writing about fashion since she was a 22-year-old in wire-rim glasses, fleece vests and Doc Martens. Her look has evolved, but she still approaches the art, commerce and personalities of the fashion industry with the same excitement. She has been reviewing the runway collections for Bazaar since 2009, the same year she wrote Harper's Bazaar's book, 'Fabulous At Every Age', and helped launch its semi-annual Runway Report. Recently, Nandini edited Tory Burch's New York Times Bestselling book 'Tory Burch In Color' and served as the designer's Editorial Director. Prior to that, she was a senior editor at W Magazine and Women's Wear Daily. When not writing about fashion, she is usually playing tennis or Uno with her two children and husband.