Dolce and Gabbana hold Sicilian feast show in Milan

Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana decked out their runway with the multi-coloured street lights of an Italian town fete on Sunday for a show inspired by Dolce's native Sicily.

Models strutted past in brightly-coloured dresses with prints of aubergines, pomegranates and chili peppers in a daywear line that included handbags made of the plastic weave material used on bar chairs in old-style Italian cafes.

US actress Scarlett Johansson, who has been in the headlines because racy pictures of her were leaked onto the Internet, attended the show held at the former Metropol cinema in Milan to the sounds of a song by Sophia Loren.

The eveningwear featured sheer embroidered dresses and skirts encrusted with shiny stones, like the candied fruit on a typical Sicilian cassata cake. Black brocade and lace dresses were combined with gold pendant earrings.

"Everything recalls the typically Italian joyful spirit," Dolce&Gabbana - famous for its flair and bright colours - said in a press statement on the "Italian Beauty" spring/summer 2012 collection for Milan Fashion Week.

The fashion duo last week announced that they were winding up their D&G line, which industry insiders say is a move to cut costs in tough times as well as boost sales for their main line which have been under pressure.