Sexy is back, with a come-to-bed theme and slinky styles for Dolce & Gabbana

(AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Dolce & Gabbana returned to their usual sexy Sicilian aesthetic yesterday. The classic ingredients were all there: baroque extravagance, references to Italian cinema – this time it was "The elegance of Luchino Visconti" – and 1950s-style corsetry. The twist came from experimenting with men's pyjamas and fabrics. These pyjamas were a very literal take on the theme. Apart from their pristine hair and make-up, the models looked as if they had just got out of their boyfriends' beds and imparted a seductive symmetry to the whole collection.

The sexy Italian widow, a character who slinks through most of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's collections, was evoked through straight black silk skirts and tailored jackets, sheer chiffon skirt suits covered in tiny fringes or ribbon loops, and jewelled and ribboned hair decorations with mini veils. The label's signature boned corsetry appeared on sultry black and cream pencil dresses, one of which incorporated panels of deconstructed lacing across it.

Another element to the show, watched by Jennifer Lopez, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell, came in the form of stiff sculpted shapes. For the finale there were huge evening (or perhaps wedding) dresses stiffened with crinoline bands and covered with three-dimensional fabric roses.

Earlier in the day, the mood was more tropical than Mediterranean. "Uplifting, and energetic," was how designer Matthew Williamson described his latest collection for Pucci. Sequinned and jewelled palm prints appeared on clothes for predatory women stalking the urban jungle. While Pucci often has a kaleidoscopic innocence to it, this was a tougher, sexier collection.

Long Pucci gowns in a predominantly black, purple and green version of the iconic print came in lycra, while micro-mini dresses featured sequins in tropical patterns and sheer panels.