Rumble in Milan - NYTimes.com The Italian spring shows have started and already there's magical connectivity to London's sports-chic, at least from Tom Ford and Thomas Tait. It flared this morning at MaxMara, where silky blouson jackets came with detachable hoods, and striped knitted T-tops looked sporty with slim wrap skirts in brown suede or a crisp silk version that combined an animal print, a floral and a check. The collection's safari-themed jackets and jumpsuits, its stenciled calf-hair clogs with ankle ties, were a loose interpretation of that style. Looking at those silk-backed knit tops and slim skirts you mainly saw cool ways to smarten up your look. The Emporio Armani show also dipped into neutral hues, like khaki and cinnamon, with layered, lightweight separates that produced contrasts in tone. The silhouette was generally short and away from the body, with lots of cute shorts.