Ever wonder what Donatella Versace & Christopher Kane’s love child would look like? If you’re curious, look no further than the Versus Spring 2011 collection. Though it’s Versace’s second fiddle brand, some people are saying that the line – designed by British fashion star Christopher Kane – is outshining the main Versace line itself. It’s a pretty mighty assertion, and one I don’t altogether agree with, but it seems to be giving the little collection a set of sturdy legs. From what I can tell it seems like a true collaborative effort, and Donatella’s fondness of Kane speaks to that as well. She says that he “reminds her of her late brother, and could someday be in the running to design that exalted primary brand,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

“I never thought I’d find anybody I could trust like I trust Christopher,” Donatells told W magazine. “And now it’s so strange. I start to say a sentence and he (would) finish it – just like me and Gianni.”

An official statement from Christopher Kane on the Versus Spring 2011 that recently showed in Milan, followed by hi-res photos:

For this Versus SS11 collection I played with combining floral, tartan stripe prints from the Versus archive, to achieve twisted and drape mesh dresses. The colour palette is very bright and optimistic (yellow, green, purple, orange, red and blue). I have worked printed mesh into longer, leaner dresses, and knitwear for a more casual sporty/grungy approach. The core of the collection is multi drape stretch mesh dresses using layers of printed mesh. Short comes in multicoloured pop dresses. Shoes and bags feature print and brogue details.

This season’s Versace collection for women is all about a playful game of proportions and opposites: short vs. long, high vs. low, plain vs. patterned, dull vs. bright, and fabric vs. flesh.

High waisted skirts cut over the knee are combined with extremely short jackets that finish under the breast. The result: a look where a line of skin is visible between the skirt and the jacket, and where shoulders are rounded to give them a fresh emphasis.

Indeed, the shoulder achieves a new prominence within the collection and in many pieces is revealed, and framed, attaining the status of a new erogenous zone. This is often achieved through the use of decorative back-belts (martingales), which feature throughout the collection. These martingales, with decorative buttons, join, embroider and shape the padded shoulders of dresses and tops, breaking up the expanse of nude back and gently and elegantly referencing fetishistic straps.

The martingales, which also decorate high waisted skirts and the sides of dresses, are realized in contrasting materials – varnished and patent against non-shiny fabrics. And in our game of opposites, the idea of contrast is key. Many dresses feature inlays in PVC that break up the lines of the silhouette, making it look more sinuous and adding the impression of motion. Solid colours too – whites, red, splashes of turquoise, and blacks – are interrupted not only by revealed areas of flesh seen through PVC inlays or sculpted shapes cut into fabric, but also by prints, which appear in the splits of skirts and on fringes.

The basis of many of these prints is the Versace Greek fret motif, which is here used not as a logo device, but as a decorative pattern. The free and easy use of this graphic device, usually so rigid and geometric in its application, adds a sense of fluidity to the prints, with their playful use of colours.

The blitz of Italian fashion kicked off today and, unlike the schedule in New York and London, there’s no warming up with “emerging” designers before the heavy hitters take the stage. The likes of Alberta Ferreti and Gucci showed today, and both presented a departure from the sheer, non-color, wisp-of-a-show collections we’ve seen for Spring 2011 so far. Day two includes Sportmax, Fendi, D&G, and Prada. Whew! See the full Milan schedule here.

There’s much to be excited about from the spread that lies before us, but the festival (as it were) has not started without it’s share of controversy. Namely, a “plus-size” designer, who has opened Milan Fashion Week for the last 5 years was, despite packing its venue with press like the AFP, somehow excluded from the official program.

[Designer Elena Miro’s] voluptuous models took to the catwalk flaunting their full figures, ample breasts and thighs, as well as their coquettish smiles, against the backdrop of a romantic black-and-white cafe scene decorated with real flowers.

The independent show was a riposte to the fashion house’s exclusion from the official programme of Milan Fashion Week after opening the event for the past five years.

It harked to the 1950s, “when the beauty of women, the round shapes and soft bodies” were de rigueur, the designer told AFP backstage before the show.

“Every kind of woman should be represented on the catwalk,” said the designer, whose real name is Elena Miroglio. “This kind of soft woman likes to dress like everyone else.”

Miroglio, who herself is diminutive and quite thin, recognises that designing for larger women is more challenging than for the more linear, but said that through her 25 years of experience she had developed the “know-how about proportions and shapes”. Read the rest here, spotted on Styleite

Frankly, I think it’s bizarre that we even still have this conversation in 2010. It’s like discussing whether blacks and whites should use the same water fountains…

On a lighter note, check this very cute video created by the maker of Darcel Disappoints in collaboration with Nowness.

The sartorial talent of John Galliano has just become a bit more accessible for men:

WWD: What are the design influences in this debut season?
John Galliano: It is pure Galliano. It is inspired by the attitude and anarchy of the London rock scene. It’s a very urban attitude. It shares the same DNA as John Galliano Homme. It is quirky, cool, streetwise.

WWD: Why launch this line now?
J.G.: The men’s collection has been steadily growing in content, as well as commercial appeal. It was a good opportunity to streamline the men’s collection and create a diffusion that would enable us to expand our clientele, as well as the characteristics of [the Galliano wearer]. It’s not just women that want more choice, more styles, more options. I want to establish a diffusion line that would complement [the main line] and could pepper a man’s wardrobe with all the essentials, and Galliano flavor.

WWD: Who do you see wearing it?
J.G.: Everyone and anyone. This is for guys that have their own ideas, own identity and want to express themselves through style.

WWD: Will you wear it?
J.G.: Of course. With men’s wear I have a rule: If I won’t wear it, we won’t produce it.

Source: WWD.com

Another amazing show from fashion genius Alexander McQueen. His collections are the epitome of apparel meets art and shows like this support that fact. From a distance, the print that covers every inch of the walls and runway looks as frilly as a paisley print. But look closer and you’ll see that the pretty is composed of skeleton parts. Very McQueen.

McQueen is always in a class on his own, but even he showed a few of the season’s biggest trends. NOTE: fur, all over print, vinyl, and head-to-toe gray.

My favorite pieces in the collection show off McQueen’s exquisite use of print. I’m especially fascinated with the long coat, whose print looks like a photo of water splashing. It makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the splash. Surreal!

photos: WWD.com

This Fall menswear designers want stylish males to mix it up with contrasting sleeves on their blazers and suit jackets. In looks with a monochrome palette, sleeves get some extra shine by being crafted in a different fabric and/or color. The trend, which seems to lend itself to an increased casual vibe, is also seen in coats.

Menswear designers took to the skies for the Fall/Winter 2010-11 season, with nearly every collection shown in Milan sending some version of a flight jacket down the runway. The style evokes a certain nostalgia for WWII-era heroism (like the 1940’s tail gunner above) or for Tom Cruise’s glory years (think “Top Gun”). Bomber jackets – as most of us know them – were recreated in classic hues and remixed with unexpected color or texture.

photos: wwd.com, gq.com, acejackets.com, sporesmoldfungus @ flickr

You don’t have to wait until August to start building your Fall 2010 wardrobe. Shop flight jackets from last season and you can save some cash yet still be relevant for seasons to come.

DSQUARED – BIKER BOMBER LEATHER JACKET Overlaping mandarin collar. One button cuffs. Tw zip chest pockets. Two side slanted slit pockets. Two-way zip closure. Ribbed hem. Cotton and Polyester lining.

DAVID BECKHAM FOR ADIDAS – BOMBER LEATHER JACKET Built up collar . Ribbed knit cuffs and hem. Side slit pockets. Front zip closure. Three stripe detailing down shoulders and arms.

DIOR HOMME – SHEARLING LEATHER JACKET Wide sllightly pointed collar. Snap cuffs. Two side slanted slit pockets with leather edges. Zip closure. Leather piping. Shearling lining. No inside pockets. Back Length: 65 cm.

DOLCE & GABBANA – HOODED NAPPA LEATHER JACKET Non detachable drawstring hood with metal ends. Zip cuffs. Two side slanted slit pockets. Zip closure. Ribbed hem. Heavily lined . Two inside pockets. Back Length: 65 cm.

DOLCE & GABBANA – WASHED NAPPA ZIP LEATHER JACKET Classic collar. Button tab cuffs. Zip closure. Two front snap flap pockets. Ribbed knit hem. Fully lined. Back Length: 64 cm.

MONCLER – MATTE CAHORS WATERPROOF SPORT JACKET Built-up collar with striped ribbed knit lining . Button shoulder epaulets. Ribbed knit cuffs. Concealed zip and button closure. Four button flap pockets. Ribbed knit hem. Inside zip pocket. Tone on tone lining.

L to R: Ermanno Servino, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, DSquared2, Dolce & Gabbana, D&G, Bottega Veneta, Blumarine, Gucci. (Click the photo for larger views)

With a name like Chanel Iman, there’s a hell of a lot of fashion legacy to live up to. Luckily, the 19-year-old model has the genes and the chops to do the name proud. In lesser hands it might just sound hokey. Chanel was one of several black models to make frequent appearances on Milan’s Spring 2010 catwalks. She was by far the busiest – booking at least nine shows, including some of the week’s biggest labels.

A guest spot by EJ at Scene in the City asks of the appearance of more “color” on the Milan runways is a harbinger of change in the industry. At the risk of sounding entirely cynical, I don’t think so. It’s more likely that there is simply a greater number of black models finding that sweet spot in their careers all at once. Afterall, fashion – much like the rest of the arts and entertainment world – loves a star… even when an unknown might actually be better qualified.

It wasn’t just Milan than loved Chanel. Whether showing funky trends or classic cuts, New York and London designers also lined up to book her.

Photos: WWD.com, style.com, nymag.com