Versace goes punk wild with homey looks

Donatella Versace is embracing her own inner Versace. After coming off a triumphant outing at the Golden Globes, she helped launch Milan Fashion Week menswear previews for next winter on Saturday on a high note.

Designer Giorgio Armani, fourth from right, poses with models wears after the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Versace dressed three women for last Sunday's awards show: Angelina Jolie, Saoirse Ronan, winner for best actress in a comedy, and star of the evening Oprah Winfrey, who wore a shape-hugging number to deliver her celebrated lifetime achievement award speech.

A model wears a creation as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Versace has been riding a wave of appreciation since her September tribute show to her slain brother, fashion house founder Gianni Versace, reunited supermodels from the 1990s while highlighting some of the new generation's top talent.

"It is the appreciation for Gianni, but maybe also a little for me," she said backstage before her show in Milan.

A model wears a creation as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Here are some highlights from the first day of Milan Fashion Week, which also included fall-winter menswear shows by Emporio Armani, newcomer Isabel Benenato, Marni and Dolce & Gabbana:

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VERSACE GOES HOME

This is about as homey as it gets in the take-it-or-leave-it ethos of Versace.

A model wears a creation as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Donatella Versace is urging aficionados to "to embrace your inner Versace" with winter menswear looks that take cues from the brand's home collection.

During her Milan Fashion Week show, pillow plaids became suit jackets worn over archival prints in seafoam green, hot pink and yellow. The effect was punk.

Models wear creations as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Crushed velvet upholstery prints in deep hues of golden, purple and red were cut into wild mid-length coats worn over a silken print shirt and a neckerchief. Burned umber puffer jackets recalled a comforter.

"These are very Versace elements, refreshed in a street key," Versace said.

Models wear creations as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

The designer punctuated the show with 11 looks for women to demonstrate, she said, "that our two souls communicate with one another." They included tassel accents on a low-back mini-dress.

Versace wasn't afraid to take things down a notch with camel overcoats. A women's version included colorful side panels that matched a headscarf and leggings.

Models wear creations as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Men's trousers were kept short to show off Versace's new tennis shoe, which features the form of a chain molded into the sole and the words "Love is blind."

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DOLCE & GABBANA'S KING OF ANGELS

It was a bling call at Dolce & Gabbana.

The designing duo of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana constructed a Baroque Sicilian church façade as the background for their "King of Angels" collection. The show opened with a tableau of young stars in formalwear, including elaborately embroidered military-style jackets and floral suits, walking beneath a pair of cherubs.

Models wear creations as part of the Emporio Armani men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

The colorful knitwear that featured cherubic putti in oval frames looked inspired by church ceilings, and angelic visages also graced motorcycle jackets.

Dolce & Gabbana, as usual, offered a range of looks — with suits styled formally, layered with furry jackets and coming pajama-inspired with robe overcoats. The designers employed light-heartedness and humor with heart-shaped backpacks, as well as one that looked like a golden puppet peeking over the wearer's shoulder.

A model waits backstage prior to the Isabel Benenato men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

The designers also emblazoned slogans such as "Time of Change" and "Love is Love" across beanies, waistbands and backsides. Nothing on the runway made the slogans' meanings explicit, although both could be interpreted as calls for new attitudes.

Colombian singer Maluma closed out the show in a glittering silver suit to match his stage presence.

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UNEXPECTED DOLCE&GABBANA

Dancers busted a move in Dolce&Gabbana active-wear at an exclusive late-night "unexpected show" for a smaller fashion crowd. While activewear has long been part of the designers' repertoire, they are putting new emphasis on the hot category.

A model wears a creation as part of the Isabel Benenato men's Fall-Winter 2018-19 collection, that was presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Jan.13, 2018. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Their Millennial models showed off the collection, ranging from baseball shirts emblazoned with "King of My Life," to soft bear-head hoodies, eliciting cheers and cat-calls from admiring onlookers.

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EMPORIO ARMANI'S

Arching zippers, tufts of fur and smooth velvet gave zest to Emporio Armani's youthful tailoring for next winter and fall.

While silhouettes mostly were relaxed, the palette was dark, albeit geared toward the fun end of deep with black, navy and slate giving way to mauve, other blues and shades tinged with purple.

Floral patterns and hypnotic repeating graphics complemented the flowing silhouette of open jackets and easy trousers. Swirls of color also burst forth on alpaca knitwear in soothing blues and icy greens.

Designer Giorgio Armani has forsworn using real animal fur in all his lines, winning praise from animal rights activists. The fur accents on the boots and detachable dyed collars therefore were surely faux. A series of furry black coats were rendered from curly-haired sheepskin, according to the press release, and there were only pony-effect goatskin jackets.

Zippers were deployed with frivolity across knitwear, inviting the playful to detach, or along sleeves, giving a cape-like feel when opened. Trousers were tapered, most elaborately so with a button cuff. Pants were mostly relaxed for daytime leisure and evening events, but tight for the sleek business suits worn tieless.

Velvet worked for day or evening, as casual wear in bomber jackets or elegant suits. Gloves were the accessories of the choice, but the 83-year-old Armani is not abiding the smartphone-driven trend of returning to the fingerless gloves of the 1980s. All of the designer's gloves were perfectly winter-proof.

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MOSCHINO GOES UNDERCOVER

Only Jeremy Scott would send the fashion crowd running around Milan with a videocassette tape in their bags. That was the invitation to the evening Moschino show.

Scott's collection challenged the gender conventions by being up front about sexual predilections. The suggestion is that the videotape contained something X-rated, if anyone could find a VCR to play it.

The mixed men's and woman's collection started with some deconstructed pinstripe suits, held suggestively together by suspenders or garters, but quickly devolved into an S&M, role play exploration, complete with a chauffeur in a silken white cape shirt followed by a madam in a black latex body suit. The music climaxes.

Beyond the runway props and edgy fashion statements, Scott also included pretty sheer dresses and skirts, as well as suits that suggest nothing more than business. That is if you leave home the leather props.

But even then, Scott pushed the envelope. Turn your head and look at the back of the suit, and there might be a trailing evening dress, or a panel made from a beaded women's dress: A cross-dresser's coming out fashion statement.

His final look: a Siamese twin tuxedo jacket joining androgynous models at the tails.

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NO FUR

Animal rights activists made their presence known during Milan Fashion Week, with several dozens attempting to block access to the Marni preview.

The show went on, running late as the fashion world is wont with or without protests. One fur-wearing fashionista endured a shower of verbal abuse as he ducked into the show at the last minute, but no violence was reported.

Animal rights activists have claimed victories recently, with Armani and Gucci being among the latest to commit to not using animal furs in future collections. Brands like Marni, which was born out of a family fur business, have a tougher line to tread.

Still, the runway show by Francesco Risso, in his second year, included only one obvious animal skin reference, and that was a shearling coat.

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MARNI'S TRAVEL JOURNAL

Entering the Marni showroom is to enter designer Francesco Risso's world, immediately.

Rather than conventional seating, he offered objects to sit upon. A child's stuffed giraffe. A hose-less vacuum cleaner. Stacks of disused videocassettes. Sacks of flour, whole wheat.

These are the details that fill Risso's travel journal. And the traveler's wardrobe embraces a naive, awe-struck sense of the world, with oversized jackets and trousers hand-painted with arm chairs, monkeys or musical instruments. Suits, puffer coats, nylon jumpsuits and anoraks round out the collection. Overcoats, in salmon pink, or blue, look slept in. Blankets do the same tricks. Men, spanning generations, not just youthful, wear talisman around their necks: a string of found trinkets, or a plasticized bear.

The rule, Risso said back stage, "is that there are no rules."

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ISABEL BENENATO'S ZEN

Isabel Benenato held her hands to her mouth in disbelief after her Milan runway debut. Her two young daughters, one clutching two stuffed rabbits, ran to hug her.

Benenato, 38, has nurtured her nine-year-old brand in the Tuscan city of Lucca, far from the Milan fashion epicenter -- and won the notice of the Italian Fashion Chamber, which invited her to Milan Fashion Week.

The brand's philosophy revolves around natural materials, she said backstage.

The preview menswear and womenswear collection was inspired by planets, and was fittingly elemental. The looks were layered, say, a jacket over a tunic and trousers, all loose, well-proportioned and easy to wear. Or a crisp, long white shirt over trousers. A long dress wraps and drapes.

"There is this sense of being wrapped. Of silence. Of relaxing," Benenato said.

DETROIT (AP) — The NFL draft gives players a chance to flaunt their style and many took advantage with custom-made suits.

A few hours before Quinyon Mitchell hit the red carpet Thursday in the shadow of the Fox Theatre, the former Toledo cornerback was getting his fit right.

Mitchell led two Baynes + Baker representatives and a personal shopper to his Detroit hotel room, where he tried on his custom-made black silk tuxedo with his name embroidered on the inside of the jacket.

After slipping on his Prada shoes, Mitchell invited his family to come up to his room for their feedback, which was overwhelmingly positive.

“I want to look good,” Mitchell told The Associated Press with a laugh when asked about how he landed on the look.

Baynes + Baker co-founder Ravi Punn fitted Mitchell and also created a suit for Drake Maye that the former North Carolina quarterback plans to wear Friday.

Punn said Mitchell's look exudes confidence.

“It fits great," said Punn, who works with Ethan Weisman of Pantheon Limited to design suits and fits for players. “Everybody’s going to be complimenting him all night. That just adds to everything.”

Mitchell and Maye were among the 13 first-round prospects to accept invitations to attend the draft. All of them had a chance to walk the red carpet along Woodward Avenue, just up the street from the site of the draft at Campus Martius Park, a few hours before the first pick was announced.

J.J. McCarthy was not a part of the festivities in the Motor City, but still had Alo Yoga make a custom charcoal gray suit.

A day before the draft, Caleb Williams was not very forthcoming about his look. Williams would only reveal he would be wearing black boots.

“I just finished my suit alterations and everything," Williams said. "I did a couple fittings. I did a couple drawings and things like that.”

Maye, meanwhile, did acknowledge his khaki suit with North Carolina blue accents was exactly what he was looking for.

“I keep it simple with my suit," he said. "I wear something North Carolina — represent — just because I love that school.”

Associated Press Writer Mike Householder contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

A closeup of the custom suit by Ravi Punn of Baynes + Baker for Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell is seen during a final fitting before the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)

Ravi Punn, right, of Baynes + Baker, adjusts the collar on Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell during a final suit fitting for the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Mike Householder)