Donatella's mini me

They look like they were separated at birth, so it was only a matter of time before Christina Aguilera and Donatella Versace formed a mutual fan club.

The singer, currently number one in the British charts with her single Beautiful, took her front row seat at the Versace show in Milan.

In a red bustier and black pencil skirt, Christina's bright yellow hair was only outshone by Donatella's. Peroxide manufacturers must be rubbing their hands with glee.

Aguilera, 21, was not the only Donatella lookalike at the show - the catwalk was full of them.

In a homage to Ms Versace's somewhat dubious personal style, models with long blonde hair extensions trotted out in every permutation of black bootcut trouser and lace inlaid body imaginable. It is just as well she dropped the Gianni from the label some time ago, as this was Donatella's style incarnate.

The question is: will long fringed leather coats, candypink fox fur jackets and black pencil skirts with a special V cut into the waistband to flaunt your belly-button, be in global demand next autumn?

Versace is a house which has traditionally ploughed its own furrow, and this collection was no exception.

Ignoring all the big trends on the Milan catwalk this week - elegance, the Sixties, bold graphic prints - Donatella seemed to look no further than her own wardrobe for inspiration.

The collection was best when she cast her net wider. Strongest was the evening wear, in particular a peach corset dress which cascaded into a romantic fishtail. Worn by British model Stella Tennant - the only girl allowed to keep her trademark short hair for the evening - it struck the right balance between romantic and sexy.

The coats were also well tailored and snappy, with their buckles, fringes and fur panels - but all in all, it was a case of one too many pairs of skintight trousers.