Frankie Morello goes Rock'n'Roll in Milan

MILAN - Florescent oranges and pinks lit the Frankie Morello runway at Milan fashion week on Sunday, in a show that paid tribute to the American rock guitarist Joan Jett to the strains of "I love Rock and Roll".

Frankie Morello AW 2012/13 - Photo: Pixel Formula

The neon colours of the eighties made a comeback with an aggressive twist: masculine jackets were covered with metal studs and throughout the collection dresses, shoes, bags, and hats had long shiny silver or gold spikes attached.

Designers Pierfrancesco Gigliotti and Maurizio Modica also went big on long tassels -- trailing down from coats, black leather gloves or bags -- as well as metal mesh dresses and tops with silver or gold interlinking threads.

The outfits evoke "a young, vitamin-charged American image" and the "fierce video-clip style from the early years of MTV", the brand's presentation said.

Studded hoodies were worn pulled up over baseball caps, over short dresses worn with fishnet tights and bizarre tiny knee-pads in black and white. Large furry neon cuffs were worn from the wrist down, completely hiding the hands.

Even casual duffel coats, sweaters and bomber-style jackets with a silky satin sheen could not escape from the rock-star studs, which were even scattered across the brand's funky new buckskin iPad cases.