China was the chief inspiration for the Roberto Cavalli Fall 2015 collection featuring an eclectic range of slinky, showy and sexy clothes with no room for something as practical as warm outerwear.

With this collection, the designer wanted to pay homage to female beauty borrowing the precious drawings of an ancient oriental culture in addition to the use of rich silk, a material incredibly sensual thanks to its triangular prism-fibres which refract the light at different angles thus producing those colour variations so unique to silk.

The Roberto Cavalli Fall 2015 collection that also pays tribute to the best Italian manufacturing tradition. All fabrics are in fact embroidered and painted by skilled seamstresses and incredible artists in the “Dream Factory” in Osmannoro, Florence.

Cavalli opened proceedings with a racy animal-print minidress under a trim, fur-collared coat left open to expose those obligatory toned gams. Then came sexy sailor pants, checkered furs and pleated gowns slashed and then gathered like curtains, creating diamond-shaped cutouts at the midriff. Ruffled maxidresses and patchwork croc-pocket jeans ticked off the Seventies trend. Cheongsam necklines, spiky “pagoda” buttons and Ming vase and screen patterns were among the signposts of Cavalli’s new “China Girl,” as his press notes anointed her.

When the finale came, the diverse and intricate details came to the fore. So did the impressive ways the designer incorporated shine and texture into each and every exit, knowing his clients are largely looking to stand out, not bundle up in a parka.