THE European Collections : Milan : Versace Gets Points for His Prints, Armani for His Elegance

They almost left disappointed. But just before runway watchers departed Italy for this week’s shows in London and Paris, Gianni Versace presented a spring-summer collection of such creativity and style that it erased memories of the drab offerings that preceded it.

Sometimes romantic, sometimes raunchy, his new collection has a lot to do with designer scarf prints. From the little petticoated party skirts to the second-skin catsuits, the Versace outfits were molded in detailed silk patterns: Medusa heads, seashells, musical instruments and cherubs.

There was also much to-do about jeans: tight leather jeans worn under a luxurious silk-printed blouse, or a simple jeans shirt coupled with a pannier silk evening skirt.

Detailing and accessories are an important part of the collection: Little bows appeared everywhere, along with large chokers with seascape motifs.

Versace has gone beyond the micro miniskirt, which engraved his name in the fashion hall of fame, to a less obviously sexy look.

The short hemline came in neat shifts and full-skirted party dresses, both adorned with dangerously cute bows. In catsuits, he switched to glamorous leopard, crocodile and zebra prints--truly a second skin.

Meanwhile, the other half of Milan’s fashion story unfolded in the quiet theater of Giorgio Armani’s downtown palazzo.

Unfazed by the red-light lingerie look featured in many other shows, Armani continued to do what he does better than anyone else: create elegant, timeless clothes.

Armani’s magic is exquisite tailoring, fabulous fabric, dreamy colors. It is the soul of the moda Milanese , which revolutionized ready-to-wear in the 1980s.

For next season, the Armani woman has a new slender jacket, almost like a cardigan, on which lapels and buttons all but disappear. Worn with slim pants, it becomes the utmost in the new wave of pantsuits that popped up in almost all of the 1991 spring and summer collections. The scarf--in delicately printed chiffon--is not merely an accessory in Armani’s collection, but doubles as a top, skirt and even dress. The collection is devoid of the heavy gold accessories that have at times been the only bright light in other displays.

Natural beiges and grays, brightened with delicate turquoise, dominate the Armani palette. Gaudy is not in the designer’s vocabulary.

The latest Armani jacket translates into eveningwear in sequined swirls taken from the batik patterns of some of the daytime outfits. It will cost at least a month’s salary for most people, but as the poets say, “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”