Earlier this week, the Camera requested that designers take a strictly professional approach to the coming shows and forego the traditional parties, cocktails and events that normally accompany the shows. Most designers themselves seemed to be in no mood for celebrating and Milan’s fashion shows are expected to be strictly business.

Some Italian fashion groups and their staff are still blocked in New York or in North America, meaning that for these groups final decisions on what approach should be taken to Milan’s shows will be difficult to make until next week.

Renzo Rosso, the chairman of hot Italian jeans and casual wear group Diesel, is among those who were left stranded by Tuesday’s tragic events. His flight to New York was diverted to Canada and the Diesel chief is expected to return shortly to company headquarters in Italy.

Rosso had been set to attend a Diesel party Tuesday evening for the opening of the company’s New York flagship store in Union Square. But like many other New York fashion events, that party was cancelled in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

A spokeswoman for Diesel said that the company expects that it will go ahead with a presentation set for ahead of the fashion shows, although final decisions on just what to do will not be made until management, namely Rosso, returns from overseas.

"We think that we will likely go ahead with the presentation, but do something very simple. We are trying to understand just what we should do," she said.