MILAN, Italy, Sept 25, 2009 (AFP) - Blumarine's Anna Molinari incited a riot of colours at Milan Fashion Week on Friday 25 September as muted hues clothed Alberta Ferretti's babydolls and Gianfranco Ferre's sophisticates.

A model displays a creation of Blumarine Spring/Summer 2010 ready-to-wear collection during the Women's fashion week in Milan - Photo: AFP/Filippo Monteforte

Blumarine's body-clinging stretch cotton knits for spring/summer 2010 use a tie-dye effect to merge red into yellow into blue-green or myriad other combinations.

Bold-coloured or fluorescent accessories literally extend from top to toe, from ear cuffs to belts to ballet flats, in the ready-to-wear collection.

From naughty in micro-shorts and minidresses worn braless, to nice in a demure cardigan-style top, the knits gave way to flouncy dresses and caftans in tabby silk for a carefree, youthful look.

Also for the evening are green camouflage gowns with fluorescent flashes and random rhinestone trims.

Ferretti toned it way down, proposing neutrals and faded peach or lilac in her flowing babydoll dresses or simple shifts.

White linen creations -- here a coat dress, there a neat belted jacket -- were equally demure, and a large white scarf pulled over a hat completed the sense of nostalgia.

In Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi's second line for Gianfranco Ferre, super-light body-hugging silk lame jackets open like a flower at the waist.

Careful pleats evoking kimonos alternate with drapery worthy of a Roman toga, reinterpreted with a romanticist's eye, leave one to imagine an outing in a convertible in the hills of Monte Carlo.

But the colours are muted -- sand, honey or flesh, with occasional gold or platinum touches -- or the house's trademark black and white.

Cocktail dresses stop above the knee, many with plunging vees down the back, others with provocative pleats playing around the bustline.

Worthy of special mention is an organza bustier wrapped with a metallic gold spiral.

Italian jeweller Damiani's gem-studded belt is a fixture in the collection, cinching skirts, pants and coats.

Meanwhile, Byblos set a mood of dark humour with black and white creations suggesting a sado-masochistic Barbarella time travelling to Victorian England.

A powder-pink antique blouse rides atop black stretch pants trimmed with metal studs; S and M marries glamour in a tie-dyed crepe de chine dress worn above stiletto-heeled black boots.

The off-the-shoulder look, a frequent sight here, returns in Byblos's indigo blue cocktail get-up, stretch pants with an asymmetrical draped top.

If that doesn't do the trick, there's a loosely meshed black minidress that leaves little to the imagination.

On Saturday 26 September the catwalks will belong to Bottega Veneta, Roberto Cavalli, Emporio Armani, Moschino and Max Mara.

Milan Fashion Week runs through next Wednesday (30 September).

By Gina Doggett