Armani, Versace add Italian glitz to London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week got an injection of Italian glamour Sunday, with Donatella Versace's Versus and Emporio Armani joining Britain-based designers including Preen and Topshop on the show schedule.

Some highlights from Day 3 of the fashion week:

ARMANI THROWS A BIG PARTY

The 83-year-old Italian design legend, who usually stages his shows in Milan, has returned to London Fashion Week for the first time in years with much fanfare.

Models wear creations by designer Emporio Armani during their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

To mark the reopening of an Emporio Armani flagship store in the British capital, the brand hosted a star-studded catwalk show and an after-party with free-flowing champagne, and it displayed a giant "Emporio Armani" light projection onto a Thames-side building.

Models wear creations by designer Emporio Armani during their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

The designer chose a vast former warehouse for his show Sunday, filling it with cheerful, rainbow-hued summer outfits that evoke carefree vacations in sunnier climes.

It's a larger collection than most, and while these may not be the most trend-setting clothes there is something here for everyone: Sporty summer macs and loose drawstring cargo pants; whimsical, childlike animal prints; girlish frilly summer dresses; neat cropped blazers with white slacks and casual flat sandals or white sneakers. A few male models sporting the designer's signature suits were scattered throughout, striking a slightly odd chord in an otherwise casual collection.

Models wear creations by designer Emporio Armani during their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Standout looks included trouser suits with candy stripes and oversized, multi-colored checks, and there was a large array of outfits in sheer pastel tones of lilac, mint and candy pink.

A model wears a creation by designer Emporio Armani during their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

One Direction's Liam Payne and singer Ellie Goulding were among those spotted in the show's front row.

Models wear creations by designer Emporio Armani during their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

DELICATE ROMANCE AT PREEN

Wispy slip dresses, dreamy pastels, oriental florals: Preen's new collection was a master class in romantic femininity.

Models display creations during the Sadie Williams Spring/Summer 2018 show for London Fashion Week held at BFC Show Space in London, Saturday Sept. 16, 2017. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

But designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi opened their show on a completely different note. Stark white, covered-up outfits accented with red knee socks, flat red shoes and little "hats" made with tied white or red handkerchiefs explained the references to Puritanism and "The Scarlet Letter" in the show notes.

A model displays a creation during the Fashion East by Matty Bovan Spring/Summer 2018 show during London Fashion Week in London, Saturday Sept. 16, 2017. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

Then came a series of deconstructed slip dresses and diaphanous one-shouldered sheer silk gowns in nude, black, and pretty shades of pink and lilac. Many were adorned with delicate lace and fine pleating, and some took inspiration from the drape and rich embroidery of the sari.

Model Winnie Harlow during the Fashion East by Matty Bovan Spring/Summer 2018 event during London Fashion Week in London, Saturday Sept. 16, 2017. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

Ruffles were still big news, as were asymmetrical hemlines that emphasize femininity with every move.

A model displays a creation during the Sadie Williams Spring/Summer 2018 show for London Fashion Week held at BFC Show Space in London, Saturday Sept. 16, 2017. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP

Red looks like it will remain keeping reigning next season, with the designers closing their show with a series of strong all-scarlet dress ensembles.

Models display creations during the Sadie Williams Spring/Summer 2018 show for London Fashion Week held at BFC Show Space in London, Saturday Sept. 16, 2017. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

BLACK, RED, SILVER AT VERSUS

Versace presented designs with all the staples of her trademark rock chick sexiness — tight bell bottom trousers, mesh mini dresses, studded and silver-fringed cowboy boots, and lots of black, white and red ensembles adorned with silver hardware.

A model wears a creation by fashion house Versus at their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Check prints featured heavily this season, appearing on men's and women's sleeveless long coats and trousers, as well as tiny bikini bottoms emblazoned with the brand name, worn with a matching cowboy jacket.

Models wear creations by fashion house Versus at their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Brand name chokers, heavy black eyeliner and lots of attitude completed the looks.

Many of Versace's clothes seemed destined for the nightclub or looked like they would only suit the young and very fit. But there were a few softer looks: A buttoned-up dark denim shirt dress looked versatile, and a series of mint green printed numbers added a dose of freshness to an otherwise tough color palette.

A model wears a creation by fashion house Versus at their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Models wear creations by fashion house Versus at their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

A model wears a creation by fashion house Versus at their Spring/Summer 2018 runway show at London Fashion Week in London, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Europe must continue to step up its help for Ukraine even after the approval of a big U.S. aid package, but made clear that he's sticking to his refusal to send Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Kyiv.

Scholz spoke after meeting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Berlin. The two countries are Europe's biggest suppliers of military assistance to Ukraine as it counters Russia's full-scale invasion, and both vowed to keep that up “for as long as it takes.”

Ukraine's cause was boosted this week by the approval in Congress of a $61 billion U.S. military aid package that had been held up for months. Scholz described it as “an encouraging and necessary signal.”

“But I also want to say clearly that the United States' decision doesn't release us here in Europe from the task of further expanding our support for Ukraine so that the country can defend itself against the aggressor,” he said.

Scholz, whose country recently pledged to supply a third Patriot missile battery to Ukraine, appealed again for other European countries that have the system to examine whether they can spare one.

Still, asked whether he will reverse his often-criticized refusal to send Taurus missiles, Scholz listed at length the military hardware Germany has provided and added: “As far as the weapons system you mention is concerned, my decision won't change.”

Scholz has argued that Taurus missiles could only be used responsibly with the involvement of German soldiers, whether inside or outside Ukraine, and says that is a line he doesn't want to cross.

Sunak, who on Tuesday pledged new military aid to Ukraine, praised Germany's efforts on air defense in particular and said “every country has got different things that it can bring to the table.”

Ukrainian troops have faced acute shortages of shells and air defense systems, allowing Russian forces to edge forward in some parts of eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for greater international assistance, warning that his country will lose the war without it.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, listens to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz address the media during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, second left, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, greet delegation members during an official welcome ceremony at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz prepare for a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024.(AP Photo/Alastair Grant, Pool)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shake hands during a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, right, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak give a joint press conference at the Chancellery in Berlin, Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/Pool via AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends a press conference with Rishi Sunak in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)