Donatella Versace set up a massive screen at the end of the catwalk for her show on Monday, which coincided with the World Cup match between Italy and Australia, so that fans could keep an eye on the ball as well as the styles. The show actually took place at half time.

Italian designer Donatella Versace.[filephoto]

The Italians won the game in the last seconds on a penalty kick, gaining them a place in the quarter finals. Cheers filled Milan's famed Piazza del Duomo where thousands of fans waving the red green and white colors followed the breathtaking game on mega screens.

Earlier, Giorgio Armani ended his Emporio collection with a parade of youths in undershirts and bathing trunks marching to the tune of "We are the Champions" and carrying gold leather soccer balls. On Sunday, the first day of the five day Spring-Summer 2007 menswear shows, the British fashion crowd was thrilled when fashion favorite David Beckham scored the goal that put England in the quarter finals _ just before the start of the Prada show.

"Soccer is so much fun, you never know what's going to happen," said Stefano Gabbana after the Dolce and Gabbana show Sunday, the first day of the five-day menswear presentations for the Spring-Summer 2007. The sports-loving duo was picked to design the official Italian team's uniforms for this round of the World Cup tournament. It comes in the deep Mediterranean blue that characterizes the "Azzuri" or "Blues" as the national team is called.

Where fashion is concerned, the current preview presentations tell a tale of a well-rounded male who feels comfortable wearing either a T-shirt or a tie. The only thing he absolutely cannot live without are his bermuda shorts.

In fact, he wears them 24 hours a day, from beach to ballroom with a stop off at the office. By day they are either in light rubberized fabric or traditional cotton and linen. For the office they come in classic fabrics matching the jacket to become a suit. At night they shine in brightly colored plasticized leather or sumptuous silk.

Another look emerging on the Milan catwalk is the super-soft jacket, casually donned with sleeves rolled up like a shirt.

Prada and Burberry, who showed Sunday, opted for a near-androgynous version of the new style. At Burberry, pale-faced models wore super light trench coats over pastel cashmere sweaters paired with trousers cinched at the waist with an extra slim belt. Prada excelled at the new shirt jacket, putting them on her equally pale models over light wool pullovers that looked willfully worn. Bermudas abounded at both shows.

A novelty of this round of collections is the use of very brightly colored plasticized fabric for the summer wardrobe, perhaps to liven up the sun-screened models.

Dolce and Gabbana clearly had sports on their mind when designing next summer's styles. Their man is athletic, with no qualms about showing off his muscles in T-shirts and jock shorts, but also not embarrassed to play the gentleman in blazer and white pants at his local country club.

"Our prototype was the hero of "Chariots of Fire" Domenico Dolce said after the show.

A good thing that Versace showed between halves of the Italy-Australia game, so that people could concentrate on the show, one of the designer's best in many a season.

The new Versace look epitomizes casual self-assurance. The earth-shaded linen suit, loose but never baggy with oversized pockets on both jacket and pants, has a cool "preppie" feel to it. Bermudas look like the practical sportswear they are meant to be, but are spiffed up with silver tasseled string ties, and slim belts. The tanned, healthy looking models have their feet very much on the ground in ultra flat leather sandals.

Every so often during the show Donatella brought out a female model, in short silk gown and towering platform heels, to underline the message that these are guys who could set a gal's heart aflutter.