Five trends from Milan Fashion Week

 Here are a few:

- Power shoulders -

Bring out your shoulder pads, ladies. Expansive, exaggerated, and wide, wide, wide, 1980s' shoulders were back on the runway in a big way.

Dolce & Gabbana had a field day here, offering up the perfect wardrobe essentials for anyone needing to muscle someone out of the way. Shoulder pads beefed up black double-breasted suits, day-Glo jackets in orange, fuchsia and canary yellow, and were on display beneath transparent dresses paired with garter belts, imparting a sexy linebacker feel.

Versace went for maximum contrast with oversized, wide-shouldered long coats in pale blue and Barbie doll pink paired with the brand's signature corset tops in contrasting colours. At Prada, roomy black dresses with generous shoulders were accented with chains that swept across the neckline at an angle.

- Translucence -

Call it what you want -- transparent, flimsy, or practically nude -- see-through looks were all over the runway, from Fendi to Bottega Veneta. Fendi's barely-there silk chiffon skirts and slacks left little to the imagination in soft tones of apricot, mint and rose. See-through had texture at N°21, while Lorenzo Serafini at Philosophy ticked two boxes with a super sheer nude turtleneck exposing generous shoulder pads (see above).

At Missoni, the brand's famous zig zag was seen on subtly transparent lurex fabric sewn into shimmering slip dresses and long, form-fitting tunics, while at Prada, legs peeked out through diaphanous silk on tiered, below-the-knee cigarette skirts with panels of leather or grey wool. Bottega Veneta showed shimmering, translucent slip dresses bedecked with transparent sequins.

- Puffy and fluffy -

The craving for comfort in challenging times means the ongoing trend of Teddy Bear and puffer coats is unlikely to fade away. It's hard to give up Teddy.