Style & Design: Global Luxury Survey

At a dinner the designer Alberta Ferretti threw last night for about 200 guests after her show, the buzz was not about Winona Ryder lipsynching to David Bowie in the front row or about the supple lacquered jersey that the designer had used for her romantic collection of goddess and gladiator gowns. As they coiffed down mojitos and martinis, buyers and journalists were buzzing about 6267, a line designed by MaxMara alumnus Roberto Rimondi and Tommaso Aquilano, two newcomers who had stolen the fashion spotlight the previous evening with a standout show. One buyer even confessed that she wished she could return all of her personal fall purchases and start over with 6267. Another buyer announced that it was the best thing he'd seen all week, hands down. The subtle '50s vibe combined with a Japanese exoticism seemed to capture the desire in fashion right now for something both wearable, but not too fashion forward. Perhaps the wobbly stock market has sent consumers and buyers into a more conservative place.

Certainly the Gucci collection Frida Giannini showed last night had that '50s conservative vibe. The designer has been playing with a kind of rockabilly look for a while, with skinny stove-pipe pants and Perfecto jackets, but she went all out for her red carpet finale, showing a handful of starchy taffeta gowns that lacked the signature sex appeal Gucci fans crave. More than ever, it seems, Italian designers are catering to the Hollywood stylists to make sure they get their wares on the backs of celebrities — both on and off the red carpet. While there haven't been many celeb sightings in the front row, what comes down the runway — particularly for the evening — is very obviously intended for photo ops. Even Ferragamo, now mining their own glamorous past with an ad campaign shot by Mario Testino in Rome and featuring Claudia Schiffer as the ultra glamorous starlet running from the paparazzi, showed a series of red-carpet-worthy beaded gowns.