Fiscal Crisis Seems Far Away at Milan's Men's Wear Shows Chris Moore/Karl Prouse; Salvatore Ferrgamo Bottega Veneta, by Tomas Maier; Calvin Klein, by Italo Zucchelli; Salvatore Ferragamo, by Massimiliano Giornetti, spring/summer 2013, in Milan. MILAN - Eye-popping color, upscale vacation clothes and rich accessories dominate the summer 2013 men's wear season - yet Italy is said to be in financial meltdown. In Milan, it is as if those urgent encounters between the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, have never happened. Spread out the welcome mat! Bring on the Asian tourists! And let the luxury good times roll. Although there are severe problems in the euro zone, an upbeat message ran through the weekend shows. Jil Sander's return to her brand was a pure and polished affirmation of her belief in sophisticated minimalism, stroked with color. Donatella Versace brought on the gladiators, calling her collection of gilt and pugilist glamour "combat rock." Think gilded strappings worn over the new Versace underwear line. Salvatore Ferragamo was doused in color. And even the streamlined outerwear from Burberry's Christopher Bailey had a metallic glint. Ms. Sander's return to her own label after an absence of seven years was more than respectable: It was a clear, clean and precise rendition of everything the designer holds dear. Far from an ode to the past, the Jil Sander man has grown up from his boyish beginnings in the 1990s - even if there was a faint reference in those sober shorts to what might have been men's casual wear in the German designer's postwar childhood. An impressive variety of ideas included graphic Jacquard patterns inspired by the contemporary artists Blinky Palermo and Robert Mangold. A honeycomb effect was another classy way of creating geometric print. "Clarity, integrity and sophisticated even when it is simple," said the designer, who proved that she could bring her own authority to the brand she founded 40 years ago. The vivid, metallic pieces that ran through a sober Burberry Prorsum show were a smart way of lightening up the collection's serious side. "Come rain or shine" was how Mr. Bailey labeled his chic severity, as slim, dark suits were given a flash of brightly colored metallic sheen or one of those signature raincoats appeared in shocking pink or cyber blue. The designer said the title was an obvious allusion to Burberry as a rainwear company. "But I like the idea more philosophically, thinking about the serious part of the collection that is very authentic and sartorial, classic and traditionally constructed," Mr. Bailey said. It is important to build up something more positive but with a certain gravitas. The lightning strikes amid the suits and the military sportswear hit just the right jolt in a collection that gave a cool edge - give or take weird metallic sandals - to the classics. "Back to our roots!" exclaimed Stefano Gabbana, referring to his design partner Domenico Dolce's Sicilian background, which was the essence of their Dolce & Gabbana show. Noble, touching and truly authentic, the models were serenaded on stage by a band redolent of the stones and scrub of a Sicilian village. A family range of figures, drawn from across the southern Italian region, walked the runway: small boys with short legs and sturdy menfolk. They mostly wore shorts, in 1950s style, cut into the waist with a widening leg. At first it seemed it was the emotional atmosphere rather than the clothes that counted. Yet this was a well-thought-out range of sportswear - the square-cut, deep-sleeve tops offering a new proportion, the shape underlined by horizontal stripes. This fine show seemed rooted in the fertile earth of the Dolce & Gabbana heritage. Blinding David Hockney colors like swimming pool turquoise with coral and leaf green were not the only innovation at Salvatore Ferragamo . The designer Massimiliano Giornetti also dared to change the footwear from sober leather to vividly colored sneakers, which could mean yellow, green and red all in one shoe. "It was the idea of a piece of art, pop culture and Los Angeles - that is where Salvatore Ferragamo started," said Mr. Giornetti, who took his Hockney theme rather too literally. His own attire was a symphony of creamy surf colors. Yet this jolt of color - especially as just a touch on a white collar - brought energy to the conventional label. And the sneakers offered the Ferragamo customer a new sportswear category. Sport is always in the men's wear air. Even before the arrival of the U.S. sports heroes Amar'e Stoudemire, Henrik Lundqvist and Victor Cruz, stars of basketball, hockey and football, respectively, the Calvin Klein collection already had been labeled by the designer Italo Zucchelli as "the evolution of the American hero."