Armani, Jil Sanders and Emilio Pucci at Milan Fashion Week

Rebellion was seen at Milan Fashion Week yesterday as many of the major Italian fashion houses broke conformity and firmly fought against the trends.

The first insurgent of the day was Bottega Veneta. Oversized voluminous shapes and pieces have made their mark on the Milan runway, but this fashion house kept it close to the body with heavy, dense fabrics in tight, corset-like coat-dresses and suits. Padded hips and darting at the waist created the ultimate feminine silhouette, whilst the high necklines and dark palette kept the collection sharp and directional. A demure Princess with a Gothic edge was the inspiration for the look, perfectly encapsulated by the dark jewelled broaches.

[Related story: Deliciously decadent Dolce & Gabbana at MFW]

More individuality was seen at the Emporio Armani show and while Giorgio Armani is known for going against the rest of the fashion crowd, this was even more evident in his latest collection. Velvet jackets, skirts, dresses and coats were all paired with elaborate jewellery and the rarely seen culottes. Britches and berets brought a sense of period elegance, whilst the bluish grey colour scheme made the collection as beautiful as a watercolour. Armani's unusual beauty stole the show.

Martial Arts offered the inspiration for Sportmax this season, with rounded shapes, intelligent quilting and contemporary fabrics all mirroring their karate roots. Securing the theme of the collection was the array of black belts tying the looks together. And the boxy cuts and popped collars all exhibited some serious androgyny, plus the oversized furs and gorgeous grey suede ankle boots kept that vein of femininity that Sportmax fans come to expect.

[Related story: Opulent sweetness and fanciful themes at MFW]

Jil Sander's Raf Simons received the ultimate recognition of a standing ovation and an encore when he took the curtain call at his runway show yesterday. The collection was inspired by love at its purest, in a relationship. The pieces were not all sugar coated however, as Simons wanted to express the difficulty in keeping a relationship alive, as well as the love behind it. The designer alluded to his most loved pieces with large billowing skirts and collarless coats, all paired with beautiful pairs of neon pink, cream and silver ankle strapped heels. Potentially his final collection for Jil Sander, Raf Simons created a truly memorable show for Milan Fashion Week.

Milly the Milanese songstress was the inspiration for Antonio Marras' collection this season. Exaggerated glamour and Italian style was evident in every piece, from the shaggy fur sleeved trench coats to the brocade and voile fishtail cocktail dress. Drama and a a certain cinematography can always be found in Marras' work as he creates landscapes of clothing and epic themes behind his collections and this season he stretched himself to the edge of his imagination.

Emilio Pucci resolved not to flash as much flesh in his latest collection, yet it was certainly anything but demure. Slashed chiffon necklines with lace underlay gave more subtle hints of cleavage, and the slit-to-the-thigh crocodile gave a classic yet alluring show of leg. YSL's Le Smoking jacket was the first key inspiration for the collection, with men's tailoring and relaxed androgyny shaping the pieces. A well crafted collection caught the balance between menswear and femininity incredibly well, making this one of the most coveted collections of the season.  The climax of Milan Fashion Week is well and truly building, and judging from the non-conformist attitude of the designers so far, we can only dream of what's to come next.