It all ended in a floral flourish. Jeremy Scott's latest collection for Moschino celebrated the confluence of strength and femininity, mixing biker elements with dancer's tutus, studs contrasting with ostrich feathers.
The tone changed and there was a literal deflowering as a model attired as a tulip let her petals flutter into the fashion crowd. And so followed a bouquet of looks inspired by flowers, from an orchid to a floral bouquet to a bunch of roses.
The collection also included a capsule collection available immediately featuring "My Little Pony," including a jersey and lurex bomber, a biker bag, backpack and T-shirts decorated with bows, stars, rainbows and butterflies.
FENDI FUTURISM
Backgammon in the tropics anyone? Karl Lagerfeld's Fendi collection proposes futuristic looks with nods to yesteryear.
Plaids and skewed stripes give the collection an underlying order and discipline that also was reflected in the disciplined shoulders and cinched waistlines.
Shoulders often were left bare, courtesy of peek-a-boo cut-outs and asymmetrical ruching. Men's bowling shirts and rugby polos inspired sheer tops that tucked prettily into diaphanous skirts.
"It is a very light collection, with an airy breeze that goes through the clothes," the brand's creative director, Silvia Venturini Fendi, said backstage.
Seafoam green, coral and sand dominated the color palette, "the colors of summer landscape," Fendi said.
Pretty detailing - tropical leaf cutouts and trailing grosgrain ribbons on hemlines and necklines adorned several designs. Materials included light cotton, nylon and netting, along with leather and the fashion house's trademark fur, some bearing the double F logo.
The celebrity model trio of Gigi Hadid, sister Bella Hadid, and Kendall Jenner took turns on the Fendi runway. Gigi indulged fashion fans backstage with a few selfies as she left wearing a hot-pink plaid suit and wire frame sunglasses.
MAX MARA EVOLUTION
Max Mara designs were an evolution of the brand's trademark monochromes, logo plays and garden florals in pretty silhouette-revealing shapes.
The light-and-airy complemented the form-fitting, as in the sheer trench worn belted over a tight, ribbed knit dress. Creative director Ian Griffiths took a step toward deconstruction, cuffing slim dress trousers to the knee. Longer skirts featured trailing strips of cloth that resembled pleats freed from their usual geometry.
The collection segued into a new Max Mara logo spelling out the brand in floating letters and then into florals shown on suit, skirt and trench combos and long billowing dresses worn over trousers.
The shoe of choice is a T-shaped high-heeled sandal, often in matching prints and shades. Bags were worn strapped on the back, with the reverse fanny-pack a definite trend.
As with last season's show, Max Mara featured model Halima Aden wearing a Muslim hijab, part of the fashion world's embrace of inclusivity and the Mideast market.