"That's Italian!".(Frida Giannini)

Byline: ANDRA LEON TALLEY

Frida Giannini, creative director at Gucci, pulled off a class act at Milan Fashion Week when at the end of her spring/summer show she crossed the white polished floor to give a huge farewell hug to her mentor and the house's CEO, Mark Lee, who is stepping down this month to return to New York. Giannini scored a home run with a collection strong on neat silhouettes, as in her pale striped cotton trouser suits worn with natty fedoras in Pop Art colors and clothes based on the famous safari cuts of the late, great YSL. The only time I get to see my friend Pat McGrath is backstage, and there she was with her crew, deftly applying heavily lined, statement-blue eyes with a hint of smoke that didn't come off as garish or retro on the runway. "Frida showed me photos of Veruschka, " she explained, "and I took the inspiration for the eyes from the gorgeous fabrics."

As I inspected the tagged looks along with Giannini, who was wearing a strapless silk jumpsuit, some outstanding feats stood out: a natural python sleeveless vest, ruffled at the armholes, paired with low-slung khaki trousers. She had everything from precise single-breasted jackets ornamented with brass buttonholes to a great olive-drab beach cover-up on Angela Lindvall an exemplar of how to translate the theme into terrific modern sportswear.

At a post-show dinner held at Le Langhe, Giannini invited about 25 people to celebrate over fusilli and veal scaloppine, including her front-row guest and Gucci's Unicef spokesmodel, Rihanna, who wore the last word in a Gucci boot with leather tassels from cuff to heel. Giannini shared tales of her engagement to now husband Giovanni Battista Guida, who gave her a record player instead of an engagement ring. Recently he gave her a mixing board because she loves to kick back and mix her own tapes. Music brought them together, when he put on Coldplay's "The Scientist" without knowing it was one of her favorite songs: "I was in the shower, and when he played it, I knew he was the one."

On a show floor designed by Rem Koolhaas' s AMO studio, the models at Prada walked along in dresses printed ...