Domenico Dolce & Steffano Gabbana make tight fitted shirts, jackets and pants for men – their known for the slimmest cut in the business when it comes to menswear. But when it came to the 20th anniversary show for their menswear this past weekend in Milan, it was big, bigger, biggest – American stars and European stars. Diva Annie Lennox – in a black Dolce tuxedo blazer and satin pants – is rarely seen and never seen at any fashion events. Perhpas her daughters Lola and Tali made her decide to go. Model Eva Herzigova, who was worked with the boys for many a campaign, wore a leopard corset top paired with a polka dot skirt. In no universe would this combo work but in the world of Dolce & Gabbana. The European actresses were diverse Rachel Weisz might have worn the simplest dress – a sequin black strapless mini by Dolce – but she might have looked the best. Juliette Binoche also went for solid black, in a black satin ruched cocktail dress and a cropped blazer. Monica Belluci – whose done Dolce perfume campaigns – wore a full on fishtail gown. In black, of course. Even members of the Missoni family showed up – Margharita Missoni in a colorful Missoni look. Obviously, in Italy, this is not a conflict. Brit blonde singing sensation Duffy paired a colorful Dolce dress with a lace shrug, and looked fantastic. There were male stars flown over too, of course: Chase Crawford, Eli Roth, Matthew McConaughey and Morgan Freeman – all in a variety of Dolce tuxes, which are amazing, fyi. It will be hard for any of the mens’ shows to top this.

The mens’ shows in Milan kickoff with a great multimedia event in the Piazza della Scala and an art exhibition in Palazza Marino for the twentieth anniversary of Dolce & Gabbana’s menswear. It’s such a big deal that the Mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti, is part of the event. It starts tomorrow, Saturday June 19th, and while you’re in a Laker hangover stupor (which is a lot like what the first three quarters were like), the likes of Monica Bellucci, Juliette Binoche, Roberto Bolle, Chace Crawford, Morgan Freeman and Matthew McConaughey are expected in the front row. It’s almost got the cache of a major European womens’ show with the names and the location – but the runway will still be about tight shirts and pants on boys, that most guys will never wear. That’s Italian.

The New York Times Styles section – which runs in Thursday editions and Sunday ones – often runs provocative articles on fashion and beauty issues. Today, May 28’s cover by Eric Wilson, was truly fascinating: a study of how photoshop has changed the perception of how women in magazines – celebrities and models – are altered by photoshop, and how this has affected photographers, designers, art directors – and other women, particularly young ones, who feel they have to emulate these altered images, in which women are made to look younger, taller, thinner, with fuller lips, etc. Reese Witherspoon on three different covers was shown, looking radically different on each. On a Marie Claire cover, her chin was obviously shorter – and her eye color was clearly a deeper blue on the cover of Vogue than it was on other covers.

“Photoshop abuse,” is what the Times refers to it as – and in Europe, magazines re taking control over it by French Elle devoting an entire issue to “Stars Sans Frads” – Stars Without Makeup. It was shot by the world famous fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, with stars like Monica Belluci and Sophie Marceau going facially naked – we think – before the camera. All in all, the story concludes that we are returning to an era of attempted “truth in beauty,” where the public no longer wants to be duped by manipulated images, or compare themselves to them. We’ll see how long that lasts. Since when do women read fashion mags for a reality check? They read them to fantasize. But for the moment, we can fantasize that it’s truth and reality everyone’s after.

For the moment.  – Merle Ginsberg

Monica Belluci and husband Vincent Cassel at the Rome International Film Festival.