Milan is preparing to host its annual men’s fashion show on Saturday, billed as the biggest in the world.

Thirty-six brands including Dolce&Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and Prada are set to take to the catwalks for the four-day fashion festival.

The autumn-winter collection show kicks off on Saturday with top brands including Ermenegildo Zegna, Dolce&Gabbana, Jil Sander and Roberto Cavalli.

Milan Fashion Week kicks off Wednesday in an atmosphere of gloom and doom with some 10 fewer shows in the lineup because of the global financial crisis.

While 95 fashion houses staged shows a year ago, this year’s programme has attracted only 79. A total of 93 brands showed their summer 2009 collections here last September.