Jil Sander

Jil Sander's much-heralded return to her eponymous label after seven years was a re-stating of her trademark minimalism, but softened. Sander's scrubbed schoolboys were de-sexed in prim little collars, wide sleeves and billowing shorts. The deconstructed jackets and coats, though precise and boldly coloured, had the cosy fit of a granny's cardigan.

Prada

The Prada man was also dressed in simple androgynous clothes which had the graphic, flat pattern of paper doll separates. The tick-tock sameness, like an assembly line of uniformed students, was a retreat from complicated times into the order and discipline of a Utopian society. Square, oversized tunics, and cropped straight pants were decorated with wide white stripes; a contrast border outlined a clean neck or a cartoonish placket or hem. Sharp lines emphasised reduction and simplicity. There was a 1970s note, the wide stripes bringing to mind the athletic clothes of that era. The shoes were unisex athletic sandals from beginning to end, unsexily styled with black socks.

Bottega Veneta

Tomas Maier's collections, usually gritty, had an ease that said flight-from-the-city. The overall trope seemed to be the freedom of the open road, hinting at the all-is-well hippie movement. The suede fringe and exaggerated eyelet closings (lacing was used rather than buttons) for collars were childish features, with a Robin Hood quality about them. Matching fringed booties immediately recalled the happiness of playing cowboys and indians. Little boys grow up into jocks in athletic separates, a hot teenager off to a game perhaps, with sporty panels and zip-fronts. In the mix were dreamy floral ensembles that were as feminine as they sounded, rendering straightforward jackets a cute "play-date" quality.

Dolce & Gabbana

Nostalgia and an escape to a more innocent era (here Cinema Paradiso 1950s) marked this collection. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's Sicilian roots appeared in rose-tinted splendour in a recreation of an entire village. The cast of urchins, salesmen, sailors and piano-tuner was actually drawn from Sicilian towns and villages. It was authentic and emotional, a rare and beautiful thing in fashion.

Although Dolce & Gabbana have carved out a business making clothes mined from fashion's past, the appeal of this season is its rustic simplicity and innocence, obvious if you compare this collection with the gilded opulence of Fall 2012. High-waisted, pleated shorts, faded colours and antique prints, oversized shirts, awning- stripes and pyjama tops, sailor tees, all spelled summer, sun and sea. The tightly belted hand-me-down pants, and three-piece suits did not say "slick banker" but had that well-worn look of a country doctor.

Ermenegildo Zegna

The banker was also in retreat at Ermenegildo Zegna, the bastion of traditional masculinity. Instead of the dour shades of wool from their famous mills, suitings were made in colour-saturated, glossy silks. Silk showed up in every look, from sensual knits to shining shantung suiting, to softly wafting shirts. The use of bold print was unusual at Zegna as well, not just the traditional pinstripes or checks but botanical, organic repeat patterns. The silhouette had the narrowness of youth, with tapered, high-waist pants, a nipped waist and strong shoulders.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo, another bastion of the classic, was doused in blinding Marvel comic colour. Creative director Massimiliano Giornetti completed the looks with vibrant- coloured sneakers instead of sober leather. Osh Kosh B'gosh?

Calvin Klein

Creative director Italo Zucchelli recalls Calvin Klein's heyday in anachronistic "youth cult" looks that seemed to come straight out of 1982. The iconography of American sportswear, a Never Never land of jeans, khakis, bomber jackets and some of the shortest shorts of the season (printed with pansies to boot!) seemed to be taken directly from the boys' department.

The flight from troubled times has taken shape in easy fit clothes that can be pulled over the head, like most children's clothes, such as T-shirts. The majority of tops were in fact collarless and based on the tee, with short, wide sleeves for easy movement.

A curious sexless note was evident in the many Eastern inflections, including tunic shirts, draped overshirts, and loose, pleated pants that hid the crotch, an obvious sign that the virile alpha male has gone into retreat.