Beachwear out, formal in for summer 2008

Judging by the collections debuting over the weekend during men's fashion week, the summer 2008 look is short of beachwear and long on formal attire, with a dash of the militaristic.

Setting the cerebral tone Saturday evening was Versace, where nothing was quite what it seemed.

The first model down the runway wore a gray trench coat that unbuttons to transform into a jacket. Jackets become waistcoats. The jackets were paired with either the traditional Versace tight trouser or a roomier pleated trouser that _ when put together with a muscle-showing mesh T-shirt, seemed to be the combination best adapted for the beach or pool side.

Most of the collection was formal, with evening wear in gorgeous lightweight wool and fabrics treated with silk protein to give them a sheen. Jackets had a single button, and houndstooth sweaters had a deep V that closed with a single button.

Strikingly missing from the presentation were shorts and swimwear. The move, Versace's people said, was aimed at getting away from seasons.

Donatella Versace has added a new stylist to the team this season: Russian designer Alexander Plokhov, who had his own military-inspired collection under the name Cloak. But even bringing in a designer with a name in his own right, Versace retains tight creative control of the fashion empire she inherited on her brother's death 10 years ago, on July 15, 1997.

With the anniversary approaching, Versace told reporters before the show that the years after her brother's death were very difficult both creatively and personally.

"In the end I understood that even Gianni would have changed, I understood that I had to find my style. Now I feel truly Donatella," the designer said.

Summer sands at Dolce&Gabbana, which also showed Saturday, opening day of the five-day preview showings, appeared to have drifted in from the desert. The spring-summer collection features army pants with a plethora of pockets, shirts and trousers with updated squared camouflage patterns, all set off by scarves wrapped around the neck to protect against those sudden sandstorms, canvas belts and bags with heavy-duty hooks and clasps.

For a little R&R, Dolce & Gabbana presented Bermuda shorts in bright red florals put together with black floral tops as well as tight swimming trunks.

Dolce & Gabbana announced a limited edition men's sneaker for the 2008 spring-summer season in ultra soft shiny leather. Each of the 5,000 pairs will be numbered. The designing duo will also outfit Italy's No. 1 tennis player, Filippo Vilandri when he appears on the grass at Wimbledon next week.

In the past the designing duo has outfitted Italy's national soccer team, and the Milan league team.

Burberry also took a cue from the military but the tone was more Sgt. Pepper's than Desert Storm. The collection was a mix of glam and pop, loud by any measure with brightly colored tops in yellow, turquoise and greens, and topped off with a series of military-inspired jackets, tops and a sweater _ all in gold.

The collection was full of the classic Burberry trench coats in a variety of fabrics including neoprene, leather and even plastic. For evening, there was a tuxedo shirt in transparent plastic and sequined tops.

For the most refreshing view of summer, take a dip in the Missoni pool. The collection rife with Bermudas and sporty windbreakers was done in a nautical theme with lots of deep blues and turquoise set off by coral and yellow.

The nautical theme lends itself well to Missoni's intricate knit designs, suggestive of the reflecting sea, the beach and the sky. Whimsical cartoonish fish and octopus characters adorned shirts and T-shirts, while brightly colored shells and starfish, were turned into cheerful charms for necklaces and bracelets.

On Sunday, a teary-eyed fashion crowd gave a standing ovation to pay tribute to the late designer Gianfranco Ferre at the presentation of his summer menswear collection. The show was held exactly a week after the 62-year old designer died of a brain hemorrhage in a Milan hospital.

Ferre was able to finish the collection and work out the details of the show, including the all-Italian sound track, before he became ill.

The collection draws its inspiration from the sea, from color scheme to fabrics shimmering like sun's reflection on water.

Impeccable suits, super soft embroidered leather jackets and a variety of sculpted shirts combined to turn the show into a lasting tribute to the designer known as the "architect" of fashion.

The show's finale, a parade of 12 little boys wearing their daddy's pristine white Ferre shirt, brought the house down.