Gucci goes big for Milan Fashion Week

London is not the only city that has suddenly woken up to the benefits associated with a thriving fashion industry and begun talking up its talents; Milan, too, is in the throes of an unprecedented promotional extravaganza.

On Wednesday, as Gucci became the first big brand to debut its spring/summer collection, it was in the context of a Brave New Milanese fashion week, with a redesigned web site and "new and expanded digital services" (live streaming, maps, the calendar). There are parties galore - kicking off tonight with a Conde Nast-sponsored night at La Scala with tenor Vittorio Grigolo - store openings from Bottega Veneta, Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo (to name a few), plus a Fendi exhibit on the art of cinema. And that's before we even get to the shows.

Oh yes - shows. There are more of them than ever, too, with Tod's and Brunello Cucinelli eschewing their traditional showroom presentations for more formal catwalk events and joining the official schedule, and Costume National relocating from Paris to Milan.

So what, exactly, is going on? There's the economic piece, of course: fashion weeks bring an influx of visitors, which brings major revenue to hotels, restaurants, stores, and associated services (which in turn brings tax revenue to the government). And there's the employment piece. But there's also the narrative, especially here: at a time when the Berlusconi situation has made the country something of a global punchline, high-end fashion provides a lustre and success story to counterbalance the dirt.

This is never more obvious than in the case of Gucci, where the lustre is both financial (Gucci is the engine that powers the Kering luxury group) and aesthetic. It's no coincidence that the show marks the real start of the week: it represents, reliably, the high-gloss upside. This season, the very high-gloss. In fact, the lam and sequinned glinting gloss.

Taking her cues from "technical outfitting . . . enlivened by a refined ornamentalism" and " Erte illustration," creative director Frida Giannini mixed athletic mesh and shapes - track pants, sweatshirts, jumpsuits - with kimono silhouettes (often open on the sides, with select ties for peekaboo closure) and oversize art deco prints in an in-your-face mix of Madame Butterfly kitsch and 1970s chic. Chartreuse lam� (yes, really - also bronze and grape) tank dresses topped mesh bras, and micro-pleated black chiffon sweat suits (apparently offered as a new version of the suit) followed suede Tees marked by gold leather swirls, all set against high-gloss python bags dripping fringe, and high-cone-heeled multi-banded bootees.

If it didn't exactly scream "modern!" or "for every body!" or "discrete" (it's the opposite of discrete; though the looks themselves may be layered, the message isn't), the show did telegraph another message, echoed by the week itself. Translated from the clothes: Go big, or go home.

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