11.   Gucci is one of a handful of Italian fashion companies that are public.

12.   Gianni Versace, together with a handful of names, symbolizes the success of Italian fashion all over the world.

13.   Gucci, the Italian fashion house, bought the brand two years ago.

14.   Her groundbreaking collections have snapped the stranglehold that a handful of designers had on Italian fashion for years.

15.   In true Italian fashion, Batali blends rigor and insouciance.

16.   Interestingly, Prada is not the first Italian cup entry funded by an Italian fashion giant.

17.   In the run-up to the fall shows, scandal has cast a wide shadow across the houses of Italian fashion.

18.   It is one of the most important seasons in the history of Italian fashion, and all who are witnessing it know it.

19.   Italian fashion generally mirrors styles American women choose, including fine tailoring for career and sportswear and feminine styles for evening and special-occasion dressing.

20.   Italian fashion weeklies have bound in earrings as well as T-shirts along with their magazines.