Kate Betts on the Best from the Milan shows

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• Wrapping Up Milan
Two trends were apparent at the end of the spring fashion week: the dress is in, and tailoring is out


• Heavy Metal
An arresting juxtaposition of high tech fabrics and old world craftmanship is on display in Milan


• The Hottest Trends
Miuccia Prada's wrapped rugged belt is copied almost immediately, while the star of the spring season just might be fabric


• Kate Betts on the Best from the Milan shows
Giorgio Armani goes back to his basic navy blue, while a young fashion talent reinterprets Burberry


• The Three D's of Fashion
• The Master of Mood
• Dressing like a Goddess
• Where Some Designers Get Their Ideas
• Signature Looks
• Creating the Mirage
"I invented navy blue," said Giorgio Armani. The T.V. cameras were rolling in his attic office on the via Borgonuovo as the designer was carefully describing his power position in the fashion world to Estelle Colin, a French television journalist preparing an hour-long documentary on Armani. OK, so navy blue (and also beige) do essentially belong to Armani in fashion terms, especially during his heyday in the '70s and '80s when, as he puts it, he "gave something to women who work." And his show on Monday was a success precisely because he went back to those old blues and whipped them up in a more casual, relevant shrunken style. The first four jackets — worn over slouchy silk satin pants — were just what his customer will be looking for next spring. Armani also outdid himself on the eveningwear — a grand finale of beaded dresses in soft shades of nude and pale pink will give Hollywood stylists something to speed-dial about.

Monday in Milan was a day for big brands. Brioni made a daring splash with a collection the designer Cristina Ortiz called "OrganiCouture." There were some interesting shapes and fabrics: oversized white leather overalls, a metallic (a big trend this week) bronze trench, and hand-stitched silver staples on seams. Ortiz is talented, it's just a question of what this house of tailoring tradition wants to be.

Christopher Bailey, another young fashion talent, knows exactly what he wants the Burberry brand to be: a very commercial interpretation of what a trendy Londoner's wardrobe might look like. It works, from the bouncy washed linen swing coats to the dusty rose dresses and the silver metallic accessories. Dusty rose, by the way, is the color for spring. Not navy blue.