Caramel tones and chihuahuas at Tod's autumn/ winter 2018 show at Milan Fashion Week

Three days in to Milan Fashion Week and much of the focus has been firmly on unusual accessories.

On Wednesday, Gucci showed models carrying prosthetic baby dragons and severed heads of their own likeness, but this morning at Tod’s it was the turn of something far less weird and which erred more on the side of the cute and fluffy: puppies.

As Gigi Hadid walked out in the first look of the collection carrying a floppy eared French bulldog, there were audible gasps from the audience as they reached for their smartphones to get the money shot.

And so followed a tiny chihuahua, a fluffy white terrier, and a king charles spaniel. Instagram gold.

Of course, with a runway stunt there is always the risk that it will overshadow the designs themselves. But luckily not every look was accessorised with a distracting pooch and besides, in this autumn/ winter collection the clothes were as delicious as the catwalk canines on show, particularly when it came to the rich colours used.

A warm palette of caramel, toffee, mustard and sage green was a huge success when applied to the many different textures on offer. Unsurprisingly from a leather house, sheepskin coats, high-shine patent leather pencil skirts, suede jumpsuits and oversized fleeces all made an appearance, mixed and matched together. Coordinating trouser suits featured overstitching, and were made from butter soft, sometimes quilted leather; trench coats were styled with coordinating sporty hooded tops underneath.

But back to those accessories. This is a brand famous for its popular Gommino driving shoe, so it came as no surprise that the footwear had a focus on comfort. Chunky fringed loafers, crepe sole wedges and inside-out sheepskin para boots were particular highlights.

Bags were either fashioned into utility belts to match the rest of the outfit, or came big and bold and in those same tasty colours. Some totes also featured a patchwork of sheepskin which resembled a mountainous landscape. Perhaps they were inspired by walking those dogs.