Remember The Gilded '80s?

RIGHT: catwalking.com
By the third day of Milan fashion week it has become very clear that the 1980s inspiration is not going away anytime soon. Anna Molinari's Blumarine show was an homage to the day-glo colors of Andy Warhol prints, particularly the portraits (a huge facsimile of one with Molinari's image in it dominated the backdrop behind the runway) and his famous flowers, which showed up on caftans, leggings and evening dresses, above right. The same Warholesque palette of bubble gum pink, turquoise, yellow and acid green also turned up on an animal print motif. By the time I got to shoe designer Brian Atwood's Bally presentation, the eighties trend had exploded into a full-blown disco party with Bianca Jagger look-alikes lounging on suede sofas in devore velvet dresses, black lace tights, turbans and platform pumps with curlicue lace-patterned gilding on the heels (above left). "I really wanted to make the shoes and accessories something special, to seduce you with them," said Atwood who was inspired by old Helmut Newton photos of Charlotte Rampling and Jagger. Over at Jimmy Choo, other icons of the same era--Siouxsie Sioux and Debbie Harry--inspired studs, snake, and zebra stripes on punk-ish, multi-zipped bags and shoes with names like Kurt, Blade, and Kris.