Anxious designers at Milan Fashion Week have been causing chaos by rescheduling catwalk shows because they are afraid influential journalists will leave town before the week is over, organisers say.
The Italian National Fashion Chamber (CNMI) has hit back at widely publicised criticism from American Vogue editor Anna Wintour that the event is disorganised.
They said delays and overlaps in the programme currently under way in Milan have been caused by fashion writers ringing up designers and asking them to pull forward shows that were originally set to take place at the end of the week.
CNMI director Giulia Pirovano claimed journalists were keen to get home before having to pack their bags for Paris Fashion Week, which begins on February 26.
Pirovano blamed Wintour, the most influential fashion journalist in the world, for starting the trend last September when she criticised the twice-yearly Fashion Weeks for taking up too much time.
Wintour wrote to all of the largest fashion houses requesting that they limit their fashion shows to a period of a few days rather than an entire week.
''Milan is an important (fashion) centre like Paris and New York and we Americans come to see as much as possible, but the weak dollar makes our stay very expensive,'' she told ANSA on Monday.
''For that reason, I asked Dolce and Gabbana, Armani and Versace to help us follow their shows without making us camp out for a week.''
Designers including Ermanno Scervino, Paola Frani and C'N'C are among those who have reshuffled shows out of fear that their models will be sashaying in front of empty seats this week.
But organisers say this last minute reorganisation has resulted in the delays to the programme such as the one that caused Wintour to blow up at the Alberta Ferretti show on Monday after it took too long to start.
''You have to wait everywhere in Milan,'' Wintour fumed from beside the catwalk. ''They need to organise themselves better.''
Some Italian designers have expressed concern at the disorganisation, which they say will see Milan Fashion Week lose credibility on an international level.
''If we don't resolve the situation we risk having egg on our faces,'' said Ennio Capata of C'N'C.
But others have reacted angrily to criticism.
The Florentine designer Roberto Cavalli described the New York fashion industry as ''a farce'' and said designers should not ''prostitute'' themselves to American wishes.
''If we take our advertising out of their newspapers, you'll see that they'll come here not just for one day of Italian fashion but for all ten,'' he said.
''I don't give a **** if Anna Wintour is in the front row,'' he added. ''I'm adored in America independently of the press.''
Some critics have also hit out at the quality of the catwalk shows, around 100 of which have been scheduled this week for women's fashion alone.
''Milan has made lots of mistakes in the these years,'' said Franco Pene, managing director of Italian manufacturing comapany Gibo.
''If the catwalk shows must be a point of reference in terms of creativity and trends, organisers can't insert a load of conformist and ready-to-wear companies, with all due respect for their important business.''
Organisers argued that shows underwent a rigorous selection process.
''Every season at least 20 labels who would like to have catwalk shows are left out,'' said CNMI president Mario Boselli.
However, he admitted that some once-famous names were still making the cut because they had contributed to building up the Made in Italy brand in the past rather than on the merits of current collections.
Boselli also agreed with Wintour that one solution might be to encourage fashion houses to opt for showroom presentations instead of time-consuming catwalk shows.
But he baulked at taking advice from Americans on how to run the event.
''It's unacceptable that people who organise catwalk shows like those in New York should criticise Milan,'' he said.
