Milan Fashion Week back to full seven days: organisers

MILAN, July 27, 2010 (AFP) - Milan Fashion Week will be true to its name, covering a full seven days in September instead of a frantic long weekend as it did in February after an agreement with top designers, organisers said Tuesday.

Iceberg's catwalk - Mens' ready-to-wear at Milan Fashion Week, June 22. Photo : Pixelformula

The event "will represent the desire of everyone in fashion to have a strong and competitive Fashion Week over seven days," the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CMNI) said in a statement.

In February, American Vogue editor Anna Wintour threw organisers into a tailspin when it emerged she could only spare three days for Milan, rather than the full week.

Top designers scrambled to schedule their shows over a cramped four-day period, despite an appeal by Milan mayor Letizia Moratti who huffed: "No one, even if her name is Anna Wintour, can make or unmake our fashion calendar."

Wintour, the inspiration for the book and subsequent film "The Devil Wears Prada" featuring the fearsome head of a fashion magazine, is regarded by many as the most influential person in the industry.

After a "round table" with top designers, organisers hammered out a programme "with a strong beginning and end" that will kick off on September 22 with Gucci presenting their spring/summer 2011 collection and end with shows by Giorgio Armani and Cavalli, the statement said.

Also Tuesday, CMNI announced that Fashion Week will move to the centre of Milan from its old venue in a western suburb.

The shows will be held at the 16th-century Palazzo dei Giureconsulti near Milan landmarks such as La Scala opera house and the northern city's iconic Gothic cathedral as well as three other nearby venues, the statement said.

Another innovation will be free bike-sharing for journalists covering Fashion Week, it said.