Punk label Ssheena takes catwalk to street as Milan wraps up

Amazed tourists snapped photos Monday as models strutted past Milan's renowned Duomo cathedral for a punk rock-inspired runway show that took fashion week to the street for its closing catwalk.

The show from young brand Ssheena -- which draws its name from a song by rockers The Ramones -- did the usual back and forth for bloggers, buyers and fans inside a historic palazzo.

But then the models marched out into the square in front of the cathedral, where they were mobbed by tourists and locals surprised by the spectacle. Many selfies ensued.

"It's amazing! I've never been to a fashion show in the street," said Marisa Gonzalez, 25, visiting from Mexico City. "You can take pictures with them... it's great."

Ssheena is an up-and-coming first-timer on the Milan calendar and it fielded a collection ranged from a silky pyjama look to edgier black suits and skirts.

"Punk rock for me is a kind of soul, not only music," Ssheena creative lead Sabrina Mandelli told AFP. "I hope you can see this in all the outfits."

There was a double-breasted suit coat-cum-short dress embellished with silver tassels and a set of black trouser legs with no seat that rose thigh-high.

Ssheena also sent a pseudo-flight suit down the catwalk that was livened up with splashes of black and blue paint. Circle motifs were a recurring theme.

Mandelli said they were a nod to the shape of the namesake of a 1930s lesbian night club in Paris called Le Monocle.

"The meaning now for me is that my girls go express themselves Piazza Duomo (Duomo Square)," she said with a laugh.

The Ssheena show was the last on the official calendar for fashion week, which has now headed to Paris and kicks into full gear Tuesday.

It marks the close of a marathon six days of catwalk strutting in the Italian fashion capital that range from big shows from regulars like Gucci, Prada and Fendi to ones by first-timers like Luke and Lucie Meier, the new creative heads for minimalist brand Jil Sander.

Donatella Versace offered the undisputed climax of the week, unveiling a collection drawing on her slain brother Gianni's 1990s hits with a surprise supermodel reunion thrown in to boot.

Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer -- now in their 40s and 50s -- had worked closely with Gianni before his murder two decades ago July.