MILAN, February 18, 2008 – Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana can work a theme like nobody's business, and at their D&G show they went mad for plaid, that cloth beloved of Her Majesty the Queen. There were an array of twinsets over calf-grazing kilts and long blazers topping full skirts in mismatched tartans, complete with checked tights, and—get this—silk handkerchiefs tied just below the chin. No royal wardrobe is complete without a mackintosh, of course, and the boys' version looked surprisingly fab, as did their take on the greatcoat.

Balmoral is uncharted territory for this duo, and a few of the fuller skirts will come off as dowdy on the post-teen set that is this collection's target crowd. But the designers made up for that with seventies-ish denim flares (the best jeans of the season so far), Mongolian lamb vests, and tunics belted over skinny pants that belled below the ankle, rendered in riotously colored paisley velvets. Trade in the flat velvet slippers that accompanied the closing parade of floor-sweeping plaid chiffon dresses for the golden-heeled patent-leather boots seen elsewhere in the collection, and you could picture these looks at Bungalow 8.

– Nicole Phelps