Is black the new black

Is black making a comeback? It is when Miuccia Prada says so. "Black is a very important colour and it is coming back. After a while you get fed up with colour and print," she said. "Now it is time to be serious. Less fun, no frills. Last year we used fashion to escape from our problems. Now, we need to be more realistic and show ourselves to be more substantial."

Her show was a plain statement of fashion authority - disciplined, tailored and constructed with passion. Staged on an all-black catwalk with minimal lighting, the show opened with a parade of black - a simple shift, a fitted coat, a dress with voluminous bell-sleeves, a hooded parka over a slim skirt, all bereft of adornment.