Milan fashion week, which began this weekend, is often seen as a sensible contrast to the antics of London's maverick designers. But Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana of the Dolce & Gabbana house are two designers who consistently do their best to inject some teen spirit into fashion's biggest financial capital - and yesterday's show for their younger, less expensive D&G label was no exception.

Combination seemed to be the motto of these designers. Even before the first model appeared, the set hinted at a hotchpotch of references: an English-style garden pond with flower borders, garden gnomes and a Snow White fountain had been installed next to a drum kit with leopard skin stool and rotating disco balls. In a white wall covered in colourful, nonsensical doodles and graffiti was a door covered Mediterranean-style with a bead curtain, festooned with silk flowers.

But when the models finally appeared, the clothes effortlessly upstaged the set: this was punk crossed with the Bay City Rollers, 1960s Carnaby Street and a home counties garden party all rolled into one. Tartan, which is emerging as a strong trend for the season, featured in capes, mini-kilts and silver-studded shirts with outsize collars. Hand-painted floor length shearling coats, deconstructed denim micro-skirts, graffiti tights and tight trousers were all tailor-made for the wealthy rebel, while cute patterns - butterflies on pink chiffon, curled-up kittens on lemon, ladybirds on blue - looked anything but demure when worn head-to-toe on stiletto heels, tights, curve-hugging pencil skirt, belt, blouse and bag.

The early part of the week is given over largely to such diffusion lines - more available, less expensive lines. Key diffusion labels include Versus by Versace, Philosophy by Alberta Ferretti and Emporio Armani by Giorgio Armani. The more exclusive labels come into play later in the week.