MILAN, Jan 20, 2006/ FW/ --- Jasper Conran’s latest menswear show came complete with two scantily clad showgirl hostesses. The only surprise was that they weren’t carrying boards marked ‘Round 1’, as the show was a celebration of boxing and its links to the underworld, notably infamous Sixties London gangsters the Kray twins.

This being Conran, it was a razor-sharp, sophisticated affair with lots of black and white even though the feel was more bare-knuckled aggression than the sportsmanship of the ‘Nobel Art’.

Yes, there was something vaguely menacing in the tone of the collection, as if a respectable veneer masked a murky past. Don King could conceivably be a fitting modern reference point and you would need a personality as big as the verbose fight promoter to fill, for example, the leopard skin duffle coat which was presented.

The show began with a sleek black one-buttoned suit which was classically simple in its conception. The black silk tie on crisp white shirt combination finished off the look but the sinister blood red buttonhole flower, mimicking the stage set, said more about the general ambiance.

Elsewhere, black leather bombers and flannel grey cover coats were wearable enough, as were the modish gold stripes that appeared on shirts and zip-up tops, but it is difficult to imagine anyone outside of a hip-hop video wearing the gold lamé training pants complete with matching cape.

The flashy exuberance of the showman was what the collection was about though as Conran continues to punch his weight.

Jasper Conran

Jasper Conran

Jasper Conran

Jasper Conran