By Jo Winterbottom Sat Sep 29, 2:52 PM ET

MILAN (Reuters) - Bold colors, high heels and an artist's touch were key themes at Milan's summer 2008 womenswear week which ended on Saturday, epitomized in the stunning gallery gowns that finished Dolce & Gabbana's show on Thursday.

And if hemlines really are a barometer of financial markets, current stock market falls will be short-lived as many skirts were short, either swinging full in 1950s style or pencil slim.

"The continuing message ... is colour, which is going to be very exciting for customers," Ken Downing, fashion director at Neiman Marcus in New York told Reuters.

Jil Sander, Marni and Burberry all used bold colors, while Donatella Versace ended her show on Thursday with a series of sweeping, slim evening gowns in jade, yellow, pink and turquoise -- a colour that seemed in every designer's paintbox.

At Gucci, designer Frida Giannini used a black and white base for her patterns but liberally splashed them with bright yellow and bubblegum pink.

Shorts or short skirts were favored by many brands, from hot pants at Blumarine to shorts at Versace and then trousers tied just above the knee at Giorgio Armani's two collections.

And if the trousers were long, they were almost all wide-legged and loose, with Dolce & Gabbana's D&G line labeling them "elephant foot."

Many designers opted for soft, flowing fabrics that they could layer for a selection of effects through teasingly transparent to full flounces.

Miuccia Prada, often seen as one of Milan's most innovative designers, used huge petals of tissue-like silk hung on the hips of dresses or draped across shoulders.

HIGH ART

High heels tottered along runways everywhere, many with beautifully sculpting or embellished with woven leather, as at Bottega Veneta, or linen coverings for Saturday's last show at Alviero Martini.

Gucci chose gold, for lace-up front stilletoes, and Versace and Armani both shaped heels with inward cuts to give an artistic flavor to the footwear.

Bags -- another important accessory for designers -- were big, soft and often carried a side pouch pocket, as at Dolce & Gabbana on Thursday -- enabling women to have the utility of a holdall and the chicness of a handbag together.

"A clutch bag that fits into a tote becomes your new twinset," Downing said.

For many designers, details were not confined to accessories and there were ample amounts of embroidery, ruffles and frills.

Emporio Armani had splashes of silver and sequins on Wednesday, Missoni banded a gold dress with bright turquoise that looked like enameling and Love, Sex, Money on Friday embroidered outfits in silver that gave an almost Turkish feel.

"The hand of the artist has popped up in every collection ... this whole painterly attitude feels very fresh," Downing said.

The artistic touch became fully-fledged artwork at Dolce & Gabbana's show on Thursday, when designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce asked three artists to paint fabrics for them.

Their finale was overflowing black dresses daubed with white, magenta, green or bright pink that looked as if the models had swirled themselves in the cast-off canvas in an artist's studio

Designer indicted on sex assault charges

By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer Thu Oct 4, 6:09 PM ET

LOS ANGELES - Celebrity fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was indicted on 59 counts of sexual assault in a move prosecutors said Thursday would keep his accusers from having to testify at a preliminary hearing.

Prosecutors previously charged Alexander with more than 40 felony and misdemeanor counts involving 18 victims that included rape, sexual battery and committing a lewd act on a child. He pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday, added two more alleged victims to the original case, bringing the total number to 20. Alexander targeted the women and girls, ages 15 to 27, between November 2002 and March 2007, prosecutors contend.

"One of the reasons in seeking the indictment is that it speeds up the process and avoids a preliminary hearing," said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office. "The nature of the charges allows victims not to testify twice."

Alexander, 33, has made the rounds of parties and fashion events, working with celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Michelle Rodriguez and Mary J. Blige. He also was a profiled designer on the TV show "America's Next Top Model" in 2003 and was among 20 people profiled by Newsweek as up-and-coming players in various industries.

Alexander is suspected of meeting women on the Internet and assaulting them when they visited with him about modeling opportunities.

His defense has claimed some of the women made the allegations to seek fame. Alexander's lawyer, Anthony Brooklier, said in some of the cases, the victims either kept in contact or met with the fashion designer after the crimes supposedly occurred.

"We think this is made up of whole cloth, the entire case," Brooklier said Thursday outside court.

Alexander was arrested in March at his Beverly Hills apartment. Bail was set at $1.3 million but Alexander remained in custody.

He was in court Thursday when Superior Court Judge David Wesley ordered him held without bail pending an Oct. 25 hearing. Prosecutors had asked for bail to be reset at $5.1 million.

A grand jury in Houston charged Alexander on July 30 with felony sexual assault of a child between ages 14 and 16, assistant district attorney Brian Rose said. Houston police have an open warrant for his arrest. Investigations also are under way in New York and Massachusetts.

Alexander came to the United States from India as a teen with his sister and mother. He graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York in 1998 and began designing jewelry and clothing.

If convicted of all counts, he faces up to life in prison.