MILAN - From glossy magazine editors to wool weavers, the fashion world celebrated 50 years of multicoloured Missoni at a fashion show that felt more like a huge family reunion than a commercial showcase.

When Ottavio and Rosita Missoni married and started a knit shop in a basement in 1953 in Gallarate, north of Milan, they knew the road would be long.

Fifty years later, tears welled up in Rosita's eyes as she recounted how the family built its name into a US$123-million business with colourful zigzagged knitwear, now designed and managed by her three children.

"To work and enjoy your work is fantastic but I feel I've been around for such a long time," the 72-year-old said. "Now I'm going to sit back and enjoy what my children are doing. I have great confidence in their next 50 years."

Thousands of guests crammed into a huge hall for a double fashion whammy - the summer 2004 show designed by Missoni's daughter Angela and a retrospective that proved how the label has always managed to move with the trends in the past half-century.

Usually impassive fashion editors sitting in the front row went misty eyed as decades of Missoni styles were paraded down the catwalk, from 1960s shimmering jumpsuits to boucle and mohair overcoats from the 1980s.

"They always summed up the mood and feeling of the times. It was like seeing my life flash before my eyes," said Glenda Bailey, editor of Harper's Bazaar magazine.

(Agencies via Xinhua)