It's no time to shy away from color, men.

Milan Fashion Week previews opened Saturday for next summer's menswear, and already a trend is coming into focus: bold, electric colors.

Economic indicators suggest men have become as fashion-conscious as women. Now, Milan fashion designers are offering fashion-forward men ever more daring looks, digging into sartorial embellishments that long have been the playthings of women's fashion: brocade, embroidery, sequins and jewel tones.

. Milan Fashion Week runs through Tuesday, with Bottega Veneta, Armani, Gucci and Ferragamo among the designers scheduled to show their looks in the coming days.

RAGING BULL

Since a group of butterflies is a flutter, it seems only fair to call a parade of Dolce&Gabbana models in tailored crimson suits a flourish.

Once again, the pair consider a moment in their fabled Sicily's history when it was the object of conquest. Last season it was the Medieval Norman invasion, this season Spanish rule

While the Spaniards may not have specifically brought bullfighting to Sicily, it is the matador jacket, embellished with swirls of piping and ribbon, which forms the backbone of the collection — and offers the sort of baroque elements that often underpin Dolce&Gabbana style. Instead of traditional gold, these new accents are black. The jackets are worn with cropped trousers and slippers.

The designers offer a new version of their boxy top, often worn with skinny trousers, this one with pictures of charging bulls -- the icon of the season. Worn around the neck to accompany this fierce image is a delicate rosary, suggesting either the fervor it must take to enter an arena with a raging bull or gratitude for having survived.

The designers have incorporated decorative elements from the traditional toreador costumes into more urban suits, including ribboning. The final distillation is a series of shiny three-piece suits with inventive scoop-neck gilets in a series of colors: cornflower blue, evergreen, emerald, purple and salmon pink — all giving way to a finale of crimson red.

This was a serious collection, heavy on ornament and light on beach wear. Unless you count a big boxer short worn with an oversized boxer's belt.