The first impression created by the winter-white alpaca on the Blumarine catwalk was snow, so it seemed logical to expect clothes to suit. But no. Out stepped black kimono looks dripping in gold, followed by jewel-toned satin japonaiserie cut so high on the thigh that winter was clearly a world away. Eventually there were items that spoke to the season, like a huge bubble of blue alpaca, a winter-white greatcoat, and a red fox chubby, but the only place Anna Molinari's woman would be going in them was a coat check. Otherwise, what was emphatically on show (and you can underline show!) was Molinari's party-like-it's-1989 sensibility: pelmet skirts, plunging necklines, second-skin leathers, the gleam of lamé (lavishly trimmed with red fox) and gold. Stock markets may crash, economies may crumble, but the Molinari index has now stayed high on good times for longer than seems feasible, never mind logical. But we've already established that word has no meaning in the world of Blumarine.
