MILAN (AP) — Milan Fashion Week wrapped up four days of mostly men’s previews for next fall and winter in a sign of calm.

Italian fashion world champion Giorgio Armani took his admirers to Milan’s hidden courtyards, islands of tranquility hidden from public view within the walls of the city’s austere neoclassical architecture.

Indian designer Dhruv Kapoor, a relative newcomer to Milan, hopes to encourage the journey through the interior with a new collection that seeks to reconcile alter-egos—whether romantic, aggressive or brooding—as a form of healing.

Creating similar moods, the designs presented could not be more aesthetically contrasting: one a study of tailoring and muted hues, the other an explosion of color on silhouettes that mix oversized with petite.

Highlights from Monday’s shows:

DHRUV KAPOOR SUPPORTS HEALING

Kapoor has a message of radical self-acceptance in her collection, combining floral prints to encourage stillness, cartoon Godzilla images representing aggression and lace details for romanticism.

Through his unisex collection called “The Embracer”, the designer advocates embracing all parts of us, even those that are perceived negatively. Not that he thinks the solution lies in the locker rooms.

“It’s a very simple process. Look in the mirror and say to yourself, ‘I love you.’ And you’ll see the magic begin to shift. You just have to admire yourself for who you are,” Kapoor said backstage, adding that he felt a dramatic shift since adopting the practice. “I don’t know how it will come.” I never deal with the how.”

The collection features fitted, ripped denim dresses over loose jeans. Broad-shouldered jackets were paired with tight-fitting pants that flared into a bell. Oversized sweatshirts were layered with cotton tunics and sheer lace pants. Godzilla raged on the front of a button-down shirt or bodycon dress, while a silver padded jacket sported reptilian spikes on the back.

“Godzilla also has a very negative, monstrous thing about him,” Kapoor said. But that shouldn’t hinder acceptance, he insisted.

Crystals on knitwear, suits and jackets contain energy that Kapoor says can be activated to have a positive impact on the wearer’s life. Instructions are included with the garments.

Models walked through the 18th-century Tiepolo Room of the Clerici Palace under paintings that included demons, walking to the beat of modems linked to classical music and hip hop. The mashup gives us “a whiff of the past and the future,” Kapoor said. “And we give birth to a new gift.”

Kapoor also promotes healing for the environment. Almost two-thirds of his collection is either upcycled, using textile scraps that would otherwise be discarded, or recycled. For this season, all of his suit fabrics are made from recycled plastics.

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ARMANI’S HIDDEN MILAN

In Milan’s fashion and financial capital, quiet gardens hidden in Milan’s courtyards are hidden from view.

Giorgio Armani suggests these are the places to stop and take stock before heading out to shop or play, this season in soft rubber-soled footwear.

Models walked slowly to the soundtrack of Italian pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi while wearing suits and dresses that were deeply structured, projecting confidence into the 88-year-old designer’s signature soft silhouette.

The color palette consisted of soft earth tones tinged with olive and forest green with a burst of crimson in sportswear and a final touch of weekend dandy looks. Flannel cargo pants were paired with soft sweaters. Disciplined double-breasted suits suited the business table. Large gake furs, including one in tiger print, brightened the calm mood.

The show was closed by couples dressed in shimmering black evening gowns and formal suits with silk or velvet detailing as they strutted down the runway as if they were leaving a party.

Armani admitted that the flashes of skin on other runways this season were sensual. But he stood by his convictions: “You can wear whatever you want, but when you’re at an important table, you have to wear an important suit,” he said.

His only fault: ties that arch under the knot as if they’ve come loose and worn tucked into a waistcoat “to provide room for relaxation.”

”Hard is not good,” the designer added.

Colleen Barry, The Associated Press