Models present creations from the Dolce & Gabbana 2012 Autumn/Winter collection in Milan on February 26, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Even before she grabbed her Oscar, Meryl Streep was in the groove with her gold Lanvin gown. The Milan fall shows, which ended Monday, were loaded with gold - the Baroque essence of the Dolce & Gabbana show, but also abundant in the lace-edged skirts at Salvatore Ferragamo, the small details at Aquilano.Rimondi. Trends from Milan include graphic patterns in prints and jacquards, slim trousers, velvet, narrow jacket shoulders and multidimensional effects with colors or embroidery.

Milan designers still love those boy-girl contrasts, like those at Giorgio Armani, with great-looking pants in a muted Prince of Wales check worn with lipstick-bright jackets, and lots of splashy prints for girlish dresses and blouses with collars spilling around the neck. But the glamour quotient was really concentrated on the Oscars red carpet - il tappeto rosso, as they say here - especially with those retro, cinched-tight gowns and white dresses (my vote for the best look goes to Gwyneth Paltrow in her caped Tom Ford gown). Apart from the elegant black-and-gray velvet gowns at Bottega, the delicately finessed slips at Jil Sander and the silvery mesh columns at Versace, Milan didn't make a bold statement for evening.