From left: Jil Sander, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana

Transparency
Here’s a riddle fit for the sphinx: how is fashion like the financial markets? The answer goes far beyond that old saw, “Hemlines rise with the Dow”, and is rooted in frequent calls for fiscal transparency: hear a word often enough and the next thing you know, you’re not just repeating it, you’re working it into your wardrobe. Or so it seemed, judging from the Milan collections, where otherwise divergent designers all agreed that next spring/summer, when various economic pundits have been prognosticating a change in the consumer weather, style will do its part to make sure none of their clients have anything to hide.

From left: Gianfranco Ferré, Moschino Cheap & Chic, Missoni, Giorgio Armani, Bottega Veneta

Off-shoulder
It’s been an off-centre sort of a year, so it’s hardly any wonder, really, that clothes have gone off-centre too, the asymmetry of life reflected in the asymmetry of shoulder straps. Well, you do what you can to hoist yourself up – and if you can do so elegantly, with even a slight suggestion of the louche or light-hearted, all the better. Now, if only the markets can follow the upward incline that Italian designers have drawn in their ateliers.

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Accessories: Art and sole

Miuccia Prada may have denounced the platform (as in shoe, not politics) post-show, stating that, as far as she was concerned, she was over the style – “at least until next season”. But judging from the rest of the Milan catwalks, in this regard she’s in a party of one.

Versace, for example, had its models even more glamazon-like than usual, thanks to 18cm heels balanced by 6cm platforms. The numbers were slightly reduced at Fendi: 16cm heels and 4cm platforms.

Giuseppe Zanotti, the man who could plausibly claim to be the father of the studded shoe trend, thanks to the biker stilettos that he created for Balmain and Proenza Schouler, clearly still believes in the look. His presentation featured ever-punkier versions on an ever-more towering base. Not that he didn’t also favour the flat, most notably in a simple sandal composed of a thong and toe ring – topped by a rhinestone skull.

A movement in favour of the practical accessory is also growing, spearheaded by Jimmy Choo, which is launching a capsule shoe collection of standards called 24/7. It will be perennially available in-store and means you will never be left without the perfect court shoe, the perfect kitten heel, the perfect wedge etc. Michelle Obama has reportedly already bought 17 pairs.

Then there’s Tod’s, proffering a notably adult and elegant sneaker made in leather and waterproof grey flannel (bags also come in the material). Valextra eschewed its commitment to luxury and crafted elegant, discreet totes and perfectly balanced shoulder bags in raffia that had been treated to be stain- and water-resistant, all trimmed in the brand’s signature array of colourful leather: beach or school-run problems solved.

Meanwhile, at Fendi, designer Silvia Fendi created bags that could be dressed and undressed according to whim and outfit. Buy the inner leather structure and then purchase any number of embroidered burlap, lace or tulle coatings separately – and sense another Baguette moment coming on. And, finally, at Faye, designer Giles Deacon offered a technological vision: a waterproof leather cape complete with inner belt that was smart, in every sense of the word.

Not that there wasn’t plenty of gorgeous whimsy on view, too, most notably at Venetian brand René Caovilla, where 16 hours of work go into the “new romantic” stiletto, a graceful heel with climbing strands of hand-crafted pastel flowers on the straps, spotted by beads and semi-precious stones.

How to keep it safe if it’s not on a pedestal? Try Bally’s snakeskin “shoe trunk”. Your footwear, at least, will rest easy.