MILAN, Italy, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - Salvatore Ferragamo lit up the Milan catwalks with an exuberant collection for spring-summer 2009, full of neon shades and dramatic volumes, using bales of silk.

Salvatore Ferragamo spring-summer 2009 - Photo : Filippo Monteforte/AFP

The house's Spanish creative director Cristina Ortiz brought some much-needed fizz into fashion week here, which has been a bit austere and flat.

Her billowing dresses floated out from tiny leather shoulder straps or fell into perfect drapes, in sizzling coral, orange, fuschia, acid yellow or soft green.

Seductive blouses were slit all the way down the side, held together only by a belt. A sweater dress was slashed from under the armpits right down to the small of the back, a favourite erogenous zone. Minimalist trenchcoats were reduced almost to a dickey and outsize collar in front. Her models perched on platforms with dizzying 20-centimetre spiral heels.

Salvatore Ferragamo spring-summer 2009 - Photos : Filippo Monteforte/AFP

Miuccia Prada also tested her models' balance to the limit with vertiginous heels, which obliged them to walk down the runway at a cautious pace. There were several falls, twisted ankles, and one even gave up and finished her catwalk performance with her shoes in her hands.

Prada's big story for next summer was the rumpled look, but in the skillful fingers of Miuccia Prada fabrics were artfully creased to give structure and unusual volumes. Rumpled chic, not merely crumpled.

In earthy shades of tobacco, chestnut and ecru, she showed knee-length frocks, boleros with wide collars, bra-tops designed to be worn outside like the tiny shorts-culottes revealed by skirts with drawstrings.

Here and there she added over-skirts to emphasise the models' behinds and scattered goldfish motifs and snakeskin through the collection to add a bright touch. For a finale her rumpled ensembles looks as if they had been dyed in liquid gold.

Prada spring-summer 2009 Photo : AFP

At Moschino the mood was romantic, all lavender, powder pink and emerald silk for frocks with fine pleating, drapes or ruffles, sometimes with the extra fabric wound into delicate roses on the shoulders.

The cuts were sober, with no cleavage on display and only one sheer blouse giving a glimpse of breast, reflecting a general trend in Milan this season towards prudery and covering up.

Milan fashion week, which began at the weekend, was continuing Wednesday with Gucci, Marni, Roberto Cavalli, Antonio Marras and La Perla all due to unveil their collections.

By Katia Dolmadjian