“Rome wasn’t built in a day” goes the song by English group Morcheeba, aptly chosen for the Laura Biagiotti show soundtrack.

Surely the city continues to be an inspiration for president and creative director Lavinia Biagiotti, who is based in the Italian capital, and the layers of its millenary history were reflected in some of the clothes, images of the Colosseum or Saint Peter’s cathedral depicted for example on a finely pleated halter dress, a T-shirt or a belted silk shirtdress.

The designer has long held the belief that longevity should be a must in fashion, and this season she again presented looks that were atemporal, such as a floral lady-like dress with elbow-length balloon sleeves or a twinset dress with a rose pattern. The floral motif was central in the collection, including on a crocheted bra — the garment trending on Milan’s runways this season.

“In Rome, the past is never just a memory, it lives in the present and continues to shape the future,” said Biagiotti, whose company has restored several city landmarks over the years. “Restoring is, to me, keeping the gift of beauty safe and passing it on to tomorrow. It is a baton handed from one generation to the next with a certain sense of gratitude and responsibility, and above all the freedom to inhabit one’s own time fully even through fashion.”

Biagiotti leaned on the brand’s expertise in knitwear, lit up here by glints of Lurex and micro-sequins.

The show, held once again at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, opened with a brief performance by Biagiotti’s longtime friend Eleonora Abbagnato, director of the Rome Opera Ballet alongside principal dancer Timofej Andrijashenko, which added to the serene and uplifting mood of the event.