"Where is Anna Wintour?" asked a message across one runway Thursday on the first day of Milan's winter womenswear fashion week. It was the question of the moment as fashionistas feared the superstar editor would sit out much of the festivities because of her tight schedule.

Organizers scrambled to accommodate the director of American Vogue, squeezing over a hundred shows and presentations into just four days. But, Fendi and Prada chose to show on Thursday — with or without the powerful fashion arbiter, the inspiration for Miranda Priestly in the book and movie "The Devil Wears Prada."

And they were glad they did. Fresh off the plane and decked out in purple, Wintour made a surprise appearance, and took her front row seat at both afternoon shows.

"You have to believe in what you are worth," Silvia Venturini Fendi, the second generation Fendi designer, said after the show, which featured the label's trademark furs.

Later Thursday, Wintour watched Prada, where designer Miuccia wowed the fashion crowd with her latest collection, a winter dream full of cozy knits and flared skirts, perfect for the screen heirs of 1950s stars Debbie Reynolds and Doris Day.

A parade of models, each with their hair in perfect chignons, came down the runway in below-the-knee skirts, wool gowns with ruffled hems and bodices, cable knit suits and short flared jackets with fur trimming.

They sported retro shoes from slingbacks to pumps to sandals, all worn with embroidered wool knee socks. Bags were of the old-fashioned handle strap or clutch variety. Black and retro Prada prints recalled a dimly lit winter.

Also seen on Thursday's runway was Dolce and Gabbana's second line D&G's winter wonderland, complete with furry "apres ski" boots with a hidden high heel and crystal studded goggles.

Wintour plans to be in Hollywood for Oscar night March 7th and before that is scheduled to attend Paris fashion week. The French are likely to resist any changes to their well-orchestrated fashion calendar.

The scheduling to accommodate Wintour prompted much soul-searching among Italian designers, industry insiders and officials. Milan Mayor Letizia Moratti, the head of the fashion chamber, Mario Boselli, designer Giorgio Armani and Diego Della Valle, head of Tod's shoes, all said Italy should stand its ground.

Fendi's Venturini expressed regret that there was not more "esprit de corps" among Italian designers.

"We need the courage to join forces," Venturini said. abcnews