Fur, leather and wool dominated the runways Friday on the second day of Milan fall-winter 2010 fashion week, packed tight with shows as designers scrambled to get their work in while top editors are still in town. Ferre, Armani, Ferretti and Versace all played with intarsia, creating patterns by pairing fur and fabric to create new designs. At Ferre, leather was the contrasting element, highlighting graphic lines and seaming, like wood in Germanic architecture. Ferre designing duo, Tommaso Aquilani and Roberto Rimondi, called the look the Bauhaus effect. It appeared in knit dresses with leather bust and sleeves, or as embroidery on an alpaca wool coat. Leather and chinchilla fur decorated a luxurious evening coat. For its second line, the Emporio collection, Armani combined materials such as velvet and organza to create a fabric on fabric intarsia. Later, at Versace, intarsia came in the form of leather inserts on stretch fabric, reminiscent of motorcycle garb. Next year's winter look promises to be relaxed and feminine with a return to a 1950s feel, complete with flared skirts, cinched waists, handle bags and dainty footwear.
