Designer A-Z

Roberto Cavalli

Autumn/Winter 2012

By Carrie Tyler

Ending Milan fashion week on an uproarious high was Roberto Cavalli. Never one to shy away from being showy, Cavalli's catwalk was laden with thousands of fresh flowers artfully fixed in a pattern the house call its own: that of the leopard. And just like the big cat, the House of Cavalli isn't changing its spots either.

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Animal print ruled again, this time with a dark, gothic edge. Snake print layers and baby-doll dresses had devore brocade weaving across them. Exaggerated flares - spray-on to the knee, a-line from below - came glittered or snaked. Eveningwear pieces of heavily jewel-encrusted t-shirts and full-skirted gowns mixed with leather blazers and mohair. It was effective, and to a soundtrack featuring re-mixed Madonna and Kylie, easily transported you to late 90s grunge.

To finish, Naomi Campbell showed us how it's done by gliding through the foliage in tiered chiffon and leading her troupe of Cavallis home. Fabulous.