Etro hits the slopes with play on skiwear in Milan

Italian fashion house Etro was well prepared for the snow blanketing Milan on Friday, unveiling a collection which gave a twist to skiwear, reworking the brand's traditional prints for modernist creations.

Designer Veronica Etro said her autumn/winter 2013 collection aimed to create "a decorative yet strong vision of femininity, where a powerful woman freely travels and customizes, creating her own sense of history and identity."

Wherever the Etro woman is going, it is cold: necklines are high, sweaters are woollen polo necks, and jackets are oversized and seem to have been plucked straight from the ski slopes, before being jazzed up in satin or with prints.

Coats and trousers were padded, and shoulders on shirts were enhanced.

Some creations were strictly to be worn indoors, maybe at apres ski parties.

Clinging, sensual dresses in splashes of grape, cranberry and choral had sections cut away at the hips, side or back, or were open along the collarbone.

A luxurious camel coat with a black fur collar was surprisingly sleeveless.

For day time, check or paisley jackets in autumn greens, oranges and browns were paired with black trousers, while short, black woollen jackets with leather arms were matched with red leather trousers with geometrical inserts.

For the evening, dresses and jumpers starring constellations and web-like motifs made of micro bead embroideries stood out, as did a yellow and black striped dress which clung to the wearer and drew many ahhhs from the audience.

Large zips in gold or silver were on show -- a trend in Milan this season.

The third day of fashion week was set to continue Friday with Versace.