By Giulia Segreti

MILAN, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana transported guests to a warm and busy Italian street setting for their spring/summer 17 catwalk show on Sunday, in one of the most flamboyant displays of Milan fashion week.

A big red "Tropico Italiano" sign hanging from the ceiling, banana trees, coconuts and white sand contrasted the ambience of an Italian village festival as soon as lights went off and young street dancers hit the catwalk, moving to the beat of tarantella folk music.

The loud and bright collection by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, known for their rich and embellished looks, carried all the typical elements of their style throughout the years, in a jubilation of gold, laces, embroidery, sequins, flowers, Madonnas, food, animal prints and lights.

Skirts and dresses seemed more like canvases, with pasta, fish, tomatoes, bread as well as roses and sunflowers and drums, Italian flags, portraits of the Madonna and crucifixes.

The brand has frequently resorted to Italian imagery for its clothes, accessories and communication, with the latest advertisement campaigns depicting Mediterranean looking models, including Italian actress Sophia Loren, in old Sicilian and Neapolitan alleys.

One of the models wore a dress made out of a jute bag with a print resembling an old-style poster saying "True Italian peeled plum tomatoes, sweet and genuine, with basil".

She was followed by one in a transparent embroidered black skirt and blouse, and whose face was covered by a small black veil, and another in a dress with a pattern of bunched spaghetti wrapped in red ribbons.

The creations included a leopard print metallic suit, a torero-like bolero with a Madonna decoration paired with black short pants and t-shirts decorated with embroidered crucifixes.

Models wore gold earrings, headbands made of pasta, roses and crowns, some made of lights, and on their feet high heeled sandals.

The bright creations were alternated with elegant, black laced dresses and skirt ensembles, paired with red rose hair decorations.

For the finale, models changed to short embroidered skirts and white t-shirts featuring a black D&G logo, and were joined by the street dancers in a vivacious closing dance.

Milan fashion week ends on Monday. Also showcasing their collections on Sunday are Salvatore Ferragamo SFER.MI and Missoni.



(Editing by Clelia Oziel) ((Giulia.Segreti@tr.com; +39.02.66129416; Reuters Messaging: giulia.segreti.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))