Milan Fashion Week was pre-pandemic with shoulder-to-shoulder seating and front-rows of A-listers.

Sharon Stone has sat admiringly at Dolce & Gabbana so far this week. Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and Kim Kardashian wore Gucci and Prada at Prada.

Two years of travel restrictions and social distancing, as well as digital-physical mix and travel restrictions that prevented many foreign buyers and editors from leaving, brought a feeling of returning to some kind of normal. This new normal now includes war on Europe’s eastern fringe. On Saturday, thousands of people marched in Milan’s Piazza Duomo for peace. They were joined by fashionistas and weekend shoppers.

Highlights from Saturday’s previews of mostly womenswear next fall/winter include:

DOLCE&GABBANA CREATES A REAL WORLD VATAR

Do you want to become your own avatar in real life? Dolce & Gabbana brought the metaverse to the runway with their latest collection.

You don’t have to leave the fun of the digital world when you can get a real-life version in a shiny red minidress with puffy sleeves or a shaggy Yeti-style coat with bold stripes or checks.

No matter what the avatar is, the new collection by Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana has a catchword: sexy. This season’s stockings include sheer stockings with garters that show through short hemlines and sheer lace dresses. They can even be worn as one-legged trousers. This innovation is, it seems, of some benefit in the D&G metaverse.

Corsets were used to define the shapes of many coats, dresses, and even appeared as silky outlines on black fitted tops, jackets, and dresses. To make it easier to move from one digital world to the next, sleek fitted tops and leggings in shiny finishes were worn under cutout skirts and dresses. Stilettos and large 3-D-style sunglasses completed the look. Designers also displayed a playful humor with a collection of pod-like garments, including jackets, coats, and knitwear. These were designed to be worn over the head almost like a nun’s habit.