Italian Fashion Watch

A catfight has broken out between the designers Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino as the doyen of Italian fashion prepared today to present his final collection in Paris before retirement.

Valentino wave’s goodbye to his staggering career but not before stirring up design rivals Dolce & Gabbana

Valentino Garavani was reflecting on his 50-year career and on his rivals when he dismissed Dolce & Gabbana as “shy to begin with, but now rather arrogant”. The 76-year-old added: “The problem with young stylists is that they all want to be famous straight away and then they all do the same things.” Valentino’s comments appear to have touched a raw nerve, especially as he only had superlative praise for other Italian designers.

He went on to describe Giorgio Armani as “revolutionary”, Miuccia Prada as “stupefying” and Donatella Versace as “gritty and determined”. In return, Mr Armani sent a vibrant red dress down his recent catwalk show in tribute to “the genius of Valentino”, who made red dresses his trademark.

Stefano Gabbana, 46, one half of the label that now has an annual turnover of over £700 million, said: “Valentino has been having goodbye parties since last July. I’ve been working.” He added: “To be quite honest, I don’t care what Valentino says about us.”

Valentino has held a lavish series of events to mark his retirement, including a party in Rome’s Imperial Forum which rebuilt an ancient temple out of plastic resin and an exhibition at the Ara Pacis museum.

Mr Gabbana also dismissed rumours that Naomi Campbell, the supermodel, is having an affair with Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Ms Campbell recently interviewed Mr Chavez, and the Venezuelan press was quick to announce that the pair had got engaged. “I do not think he is her type, or vice versa,” said Mr Gabbana. “They have different tastes.”

Valentino and Giorgio Armani are accustomed to seeing the world’s highest profile men step out in their beautifully tailored suits. But the pair were showcasing a rather different approach to the wardrobe staple during their collections for spring/summer 2008 Milan Fashion Week.

Valentino added a colonial flavour to his show which, with its sports jackets in luxurious fabrics, emphasised the classic elegance the 45-year-old label is renowned for. Armani, on the other hand, deconstructed the jacket to have it serve like a shirt, worn over a bare torso and waistcoat. Adding another take on the suit for next spring/summer was British designer John Richmond, whose collection married English dandy with Sicilian bandit.

Sportswear was a big focus for many of the designers, including Alexander McQueen. The Londoner had taken inspiration from surfer dudes, presenting fluorescent lycra leggings, hippie style T-shirts, Sixties slogan prints, and Bermuda shorts. The surfer look was echoed at Burberry where dropped-crotch trousers imitated the silhouette of surfers easing themselves out of a wet suit.

Motor racing, however, was the theme at Dsquared2 where buff models donned pit-style overalls and Formula One patches adorned denim jeans and leather jackets.

Less was clearly more when it came to beachwear at Dolce & Gabbana, with the Dutch design duo showing uber-minimalist swimming trunks. The glamorous label also gave a young urban take on contemporary menswear though linen shirts and scrunched up combats.

While many of the catwalks kept to a typical summer palette of creams, light greys and pastels, the Moschino runway was a riot of colour, reflecting the designer’s homage to the Eighties. Brightly hued trench coats in sizzling orange mingled with white trousers and pink sock combos topped with fluorescent hats.

Designer Donatella Versace has publicly supported the increasing pressure on the fashion industry to discourage super-thin models, but the struggles young women face with eating disorders has now hit home for the outspoken Italian.

According to People magazine, Versace’s 20-year-old daughter, Allegra, is currently undergoing treatment for anorexia.

There had been suspicion for months that the younger, uber-slim Versace was battling an eating disorder, and her mother confirmed the news in a statement released earlier this week.

“She is receiving the best medical care possible to help overcome this illness and is responding well,” Versace said.

The trade association of the Italian luxury industry, Altagamma, has decided to re-elect Leonardo Ferragamo as the chairman of the board for another three-year post.

Altagamma members include Alberta Ferretti, Brioni, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Max Mara, Loro Piana, Tod’s, Versace and Valentino.

The executives elected as Altagamma board members were Niccolo Branca, Jacopo Biondi Santi, Patrizio Di Marco, Andrea Illy, Matteo Marzotto, Vittorio Missoni, Matteo Montezemolo, Laudomia Pucci, Carlo Rivetti, Francesco Trapani, Santo Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna.

It commemorated its 15-year anniversary with a revision of its mission to the following: “To affirm the excellence of Altagamma member companies and to promote, together, Italian Lifestyle and Culture around the world.”

The group’s long-term goal is to continue globally defending and promoting the cultural and economic heritage of the highest level of Italian lifestyle.

Altagamma is also active in research studies. Last summer, the producers association announced global figures showing that consumers spent $94 billion annually on luxury goods with 26% or $25 billion spent on Italian goods.