[ MILAN, Italy — Opens in new window ]

Fausto Puglisi is fed up with the catwalk show format. So are many of us. The formula is honestly a bit tired. Instead, Puglisi collaborated with theater director Armando Punzo - director of the Teatro Stabile of the Volterra penitentiary - on an emotional experience that made the high-contrast values of the Puglisi world tangible.

The carnal grand guignol of sex and religion offered a wonderful backdrop to the designer's Dionysian take on uber-feminity. Sweat and incense made for a potent frame. But the collection was practically swallowed up by the

mise en scene

. In other words, the format is intelligent, but it needs fine-tuning. As for the clothes, it was business as usual.