Never ones to be foxed by distance or time, Dolce and Gabbana described their autumn 2014 collection as 'Tchaikovsky in Sicily'.

Their shownotes this season were simply a wordcloud of fairytale connotations, from 'elves' to 'secret garden' to 'dreams', and the collection reflected this nebulousness. It was a hit parade of the duo's most opulent and romantic fantasies, tied together with a golden thread.

Hefty furs, metallic jacquards and labour-intensive beading, jewels and damasks served to highlight how far this collection really is from its deceptive nomenclature 'ready to wear'. It will be, of course, in time when it's adapted for mass production and commercial use, but the catwalk pieces were stunning examples of rarefied craftsmanship, as close to couture as any Parisian workshop can produce.

This, and the transposing of Russia's foremost purveyor of princessy schmaltz into the brand's usual Sicilian narrative, in turn highlighted the direction in which this label is looking for custom, and the economic geography it is concerned with.

Capes and swing coats, empire line, diaphanous chiffon dresses printed with painterly florals and woodland animals, sumptuously worked tapestried tunics and hinged, armour-like Cossack boots (covered in sparkling crystals) transformed the usual dusky heroine of a Dolce show into a Russian fairytale peasant maid turned princess. Models were matryoshkas in beaded and gem covered balaclavas, with rich oxblood and petrol green fur chaperon hoods and jewelled gauntlets to match.

It reflects the folkloric, Slavic tinge now filtering into the very highest levels of the fashion market, thanks to the patriotic tastes of wealthy private clients from that part of the world and the rise of native designers such as Ulyana Sergeenko, who has popularised a certain Vasilisa the Beautiful aesthetic among the upper echelons.

This suits the breadth of Dolce and Gabbana's imaginations and their taste for the romantic. Ironically, it also grounds them in a certain realism, despite the enchanted snowglobe backdrop at today's show and dry ice. And it legitimises the flights of fantasy and showboating of recent seasons - because there is actually demand for pieces of this kind.

And there will be for the versions that reach the boutiques too (as opposed those on to the atelier's private order books). Because no-one - not even a fairytale witch or baddie - can resist a jumper or dress with a fox or an owl on the front. That's both the moral and the happy ending of the Dolce and Gabbana fairytale.