The Galleria Marconi, here, was the site of a star-studded art and fashion event launched Feb. 28 during the Milan women's ready-to-wear collections. The party was attended by 550 people, including fashion celebrities such as designers Dolce & Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferre, Rift Ozbek, Elio Fiorucci, Victor Alfaro, Anna Molinari, Anna Fendi and Fornasetti, plus supermodels Eva Herzigova and Carol Alt.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF), the exhibit ran through March 21 and brought together the work of 18 leading international fashion designers, several artists and exhibits by popular photographers, each contributing an interpretation of fur from their archival collections and new presentations.

Lending their talents were Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior by Galliano, Alexander McQueen for Givenchy, Versace, Gianfranco Ferre, Tom Ford for Gucci, Fendi by Karl Lagerfeld, Philip Treacy, Rifat Ozbek, Miuccia Prada, Manolo Blahnik, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix, Victor & Rolf, Vivienne Westwood, Anna Molinari, Narciso Rodriguez and Victor Alfaro.

Artists featured were Tobias Rehberger, Sylvia Fleury, Meret Oppenheim, Joep van Lieshout and Mat Collishaw.

Work by internationally renown photographers such as Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Albert Watson, GianPaolo Barbieri, Oliviero Toscani, Helmut Newton, Ugo Mulas, Peter Lindbergh, Steve Hiett, Chris Von Wangenheim and Bert Stern was also on display.

Devised as a journey through the multiform facets of the creativity of fur, on view were such diverse creations as "Leopard skin Lily", 1996, by artist Mat Colishaw, fourteen hangers covered by multicolored dyed nutria by Rifat Ozbek, and fur boots on a fur carpet by Manolo Blahnik.