Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi are the young guns of the Italian fashion scene, designing their own namesake collection, sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and other stores, in addition to designing Gianfranco Ferré.

Their Aquilano Rimondi collection was an Italian Baroque patchwork of painterly floral prints and gilded brocades in rich shades of pink, lapis blue and emerald green, recalling the rich fabric heritage of Italy.

Theirs is a more-is-more approach to dressing -- short bustier dresses with pouf skirts or oversized bows, elongated safari jackets with jeweled buttons, and print blouses with high, stiff collars. It was a visual feast, so much so that it was difficult to imagine these clothes actually being worn -- except perhaps to a Venetian ball.

In contrast, the designers' collection for Ferré was light as a feather but no less overwrought. The draped, bubble-skirted bustier dress was the star here too, this time in barely-there shades of layered sheer organza, silk gazar and micro-pleated metallic lamé, sculpted into cloud-like volumes. The effect was beautiful, but the models looked as fragile as dandelions.

Both collections seemed to be about woman as ornament. In the future, it would be interesting to see the designers temper their extraordinary workmanship and flair for the dramatic with a little more real-world practicality.

-- Booth Moore

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Upper photo: Aquilano e Rimondi spring-summer 2010 runway. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

Lower photo: Gianfranco Ferré spring-summer 2010 runway. Credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

MILAN — Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi are Milan's most auspicious up-and-coming designers. They landed the top jobs at Gianfranco Ferre last year only to find out that the owner is bankrupt. And yet they have still managed to stay focused on that line, as well as on their own.

Their namesake collection displayed their flair for dramatic tailoring and fell in line with the season's strong shoulder trend. There were shades of Adrian in a black sheath with enormous hot pink velvet sleeves and a tweed coat with bushy fox fur sleeves.

But the designers managed to keep things from looking too costumey by tempering those diva looks with a more down-to-earth peaked shoulder tuxedo and tuxedo shirt dress. If only they could have exhibited that restraint in the Ferre show.

— Booth Moore

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Photograph: Giuseppe Aresu / Associated Press