Milan fashion week got off to a scintillating start on Friday (September 29) with sexy swimwear and lingerie collections from top names including Gianfranco Ferre, Roberto Cavalli, and Bluemarine. Skimpy lingerie and swim suits were the order of the day as scantily-clad models strutted their stuff. Roberto Cavalli kicked off with models wearing lingerie adorned with floral prints and accessories. Bluemarine`s spectacle included revealing night-dresses as well as lingerie. Gianfranco Ferre`s show included models wearing dark lingerie and stockings. Female models also appeared with a scantily clad man. It was also the debut for Italy`s transexual designer, Countess Robertina Manganaro. Her creations included colourful hot pants with flowers, costumes decorated in golden thread, transparent silk evening dresses and leather pants. The designer herself made a brief appearance to a backdrop of naked men. Earlier new figures showing double-digit growth in Italian clothing exports this year gave the industry something to smile about as buyers flocked to Milan for the start of the Women’s Ready-to-Wear Summer 2001 shows. Some 100 designers and fashion houses will be holding their shows during the Milan fashion week, to dazzle and entice buyers and the press in a marathon that ends on Oct 6. However, fashion week shifted to a high gear on Sunday when US heart- throb actor George Clooney appeared in the middle of the front row at Gianni Versace`s Versus Show. Designer shows are just the icing on the cake of millions of dollars in business at the Milan Fair, where 281 companies set up stands to show off wares to buyers searching for hot new trends to hang on retail racks next spring. Bureau Report