Sharjah24 – AFP: Fashionistas will have to log on to soak up the glamour at Milan Fashion Week, which remains online a year after the coronavirus first swept into northern Italy.

No sharply dressed crowds will attend the extravaganza's opening on Wednesday: it's virtual catwalk shows only, with the likes of Armani and Prada presenting new women's collections for autumn and winter 2021-22.

The word "coronavirus" was just starting to pop up in conversations among members of the global style elite as they gathered for the February 2020 edition of Milan Fashion Week.

Italy's first outbreak was taking hold in Codogno, an hour's drive away. That prompted Armani to announce it would present its collection behind closed doors -- a first in fashion history.

Covid-19 would quickly spread across Italy, prompting the first national lockdown in Europe as the crisis swiftly took on global proportions.

A year later, the global luxury sector is in dire economic straits, with few reasons to dress up as comfort-wear has become the new uniform for the housebound.

Milan organisers nevertheless intend the latest Fashion Week, which runs until March 1, to show that the industry can adapt in the face of crisis.

And there is hope that the arrival of vaccines will lead to a fashion bounce-back.