The best bits from Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2026

IF MILAN FASHION WEEK IS ANY INDICATOR, we may be heading into a new golden era of design. The shakeup of creative directors that took place over the past 18 months has shown fruit with the debut collections of Demna at Gucci, Dario Vitale at Versace, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta. In the words of Thom Yorke, everything [seems to be, finally] in its right place…

There was plenty of hesitant hope in the lead-up. We’d already been treated to the vision of Alessandro Michele at his new home in Valentino. A vision, undeniably so and beautifully executed, but also one we’d seen before during his time at Gucci. It didn’t feel entirely new.

But what came down the runways in Milan did feel new. And if not entirely new, as there still seems to be an obsessive interest in “archive”, the intrepretation felt right for the times ahead. And for the first time in a long time, it felt like there was actually something for everybody. Whether that somebody wants a touch of tasteful trashiness (Versace), playful nostalgia (Fendi), new decadence (Gucci) or prefers to speak volumes through subtlety (Bottega Veneta).

Gucci

Before Milan even started, Demna dropped what became one of the most talked about moments of the week: his debut collection La Famiglia, a digital library of archetypes that would be the building blocks of the new Gucci. Which, when you pry it apart, is the old Gucci. Or the real Gucci, perhaps. A blend of the brand’s previous incarnations with, yes, even flashes of Sabato De Sarno, but distinctly Demna and clearly speaking to a new generation of potential community.

Demna has always been attuned to the tides of youth culture and he’s realised that they’re not buying the old luxury. They’re buying stories. They’re buying narrative, entertainment. The content generation. Thankfully, the clothing didn’t fall prey to gimmick. The Georgian is clearly not trying to just replicate his days at Balenciaga. 

The menswear from the New Gucci was a broad church. There was sex, there was chic. There was gauche and geek: low-slung denim paired with leather jackets, monogrammed velvet ensembles, bows and shrunken knitwear. 

Demna also seems keen to continue Alessandro’s love of Hollywood’s platform to showcase fashion. In lieu of a runway, the collection was given its own short film, The Tiger, directed by Spike Jonze and starring Demi Moore, Edward Norton, Keke Palmer and Elliot Page, giving literal life to the archetypes.

Fendi

In what we would later discover to be one of Silvia Venturini Fendi’s final shows, there was a moment of synchonistic bliss when the models came out at the Fendi spring/summer 2026 show and you realised that the Marc Newson-designed set, with its neatly lined squares of colour, was an architectural mirror to the precise balance of colour and form found in the clothes.

Sport, and its need for clothing that provided movement and allowed the wearer to stay cool, provided the underpinnings for the collection – zippers down the side of trousers, perforated leather windbreakers and matching running shorts.

The city of Rome has always inspired Fendi as a designer but this felt like a Roman holiday. Floral motifs across both mens and womenswear rounded out what were already softer-than-usual edges with its drawstring waists and sheer layering. If there was any need for summer body inspiration, it would be this trend for translucent menswear. 

Versace

I don’t know if anyone had as much fun during MFW as Versace’s new Creative Director, Dario Vitale, did. Versace has always been a brand that puts pleasure at the centre of its work: clothes that make you feel good. This was something Vitale (whose surname, in some divine twist of fate, actually means “life giver” and boy did he ever give the fashion world life this week) clearly wanted to continue, but giving it a cheekier spin.

It still had that sex appeal drive that is central to the Versace world, but with a renewed sex drive to boot. Vitale dug deep into Versace’s archives from the ‘80s for inspiration (something that seems to be happening at every brand undergoing resets of various degrees) but it still felt fresh. Testament to Gianni’s enduring vision or Vitali’s own skill at interpreting data for new eyes?

Bold prints, bright colours (purple, strawberry, emerald green and broad shoulders formed the holy trinity of the menswear. This was Gianni where he was happiest: Miami and its beaches and there was plenty of reference to the late designer’s infamous “South Beach” stories collection peppered throughout. Tops were cut out at the side, sleeveless, shorts shorter and paired with pink sweaters. Leather trousers and jackets had the heft of biker pieces, as opposed to the current trend for “lighter than air” leather. 

“As a bit of an outsider in the fashion world, I tend to look for items that stand out rather than blend in when considering my favourites at a fashion week. In Milan, that was Dario Vitale’s audacious Versace debut, which cast the brand in a new light. I found myself coming back to one particular electric blue linen blazer, worn with lime green pants, a crimson red button-up and a pendant that was so oversized it was almost comical. The look is simultaneously a vision of Miami Vice and modern preppy-ness.” Cayle Reid, associate editor Men’s Health/Esquire

Bottega Veneta

The announcement of Louise Trotter as Creative Director for Bottega Veneta makes one of only two women selected in the great fashion reshuffle to helm a major brand and the only female in the role in all of Kering’s lineup. Her placement is arguably a lightning rod for the industry’s imbalance and speaks to what has become one of the most praised debuts of the season so far.

Bottega’s experimentations with leather as a material have been nothing short of magic in the past and Trotter seems to have that same transformative vision, through her own lens. Example a) the knitted sweaters that were made from recycled fibreglass.

Much was said about the arrival of a “female gaze” to the brand. If this had to be defined, it would be Trotter’s elevated practicality applied to the entire collection. Draping fits that added the sumptuousness of the materials, from shorts and shirting that seemed to hover around the body to louchely hanging suiting that, at the same time, conveyed Italian precision. It was clothes that lived and breathed the energy of the city but had the comfort of the villa, the resort, the escape.

BOSS

The BOSS brand has always had one of the more playful taglines: be your own boss. It might play on this sense of independent and personal style, but it also connects to the brand’s corporate ties. Pun! This season, BOSS seems more comfortable than ever to play in the arena of double entendre and paradox. While suits have always been the core of the brand’s image, cut with German precision, they come with the constraint of perfection. 

One thing about being your own boss is that you’re not confined to tradition, which means the suit’s formality was relaxed. When I say that the styling hinted that the suit was worn in a state of “morning after”, I do so with the utmost admiration. This is the kind of boss I want to be – still precise, still exquisitely tailored, but one whose work-life balance is skewed towards the good times.

There were even moments of true humour – three-quarter trousers worn with braces that looked like corporate lederhosen. Morning commute aesthetics, ties undone and dangling over russet leather pants. BOSS has always cornered the market for clothing that captures the energy of the city and to see them lean into its movements is refreshing. Equally refreshing, the lack of athleisure moments. Structure can be comfortable, details can be soothing. Gen Z have become masters of compartmentalising their lives, unlike the Gen Y hustle mentality, and the demarcation between workwear and off-duty has slowly returned. BOSS, it looks like, have locked in on this.

Loro Piana

Did Loro Piana, the brand so synonymous with the term “quiet luxury” that you could almost argue every letter in its name is silent, just release a collection with a sense of humour? It appears so. Fair, on their own, the pieces remain faithful to LP’s modus operandi of soft and subtle but styling proves just how playful “luxury basics” can actually be.

The collection traversed the notions of comfort in leisure: plum cardigans, chevron-patterned blazers and camel sweatpants for the bookish pursuits. Drawstring pants, relaxed shirting and scarf straight from the painter’s studio while outerwear and chinos were perfect for a gentle hike. Gentle being the operative word, there’s no sweating in Loro Piana. 

“I’ve always said a good hat, loafer and blazer is all you need – and Loro Piana’s SS26 collection doubled down on that mantra. Tailoring came softened, loafers sharpened the edges, and the hats? A quiet flex. But what really stood out was the layering: shirts under blazers, knits beneath outerwear, jackets under jackets – all styled to feel more lived-in.” – Ruby Stephens, Style, Jewellery and Watches Editor.

In our plugged-in world of overtime and screen time, downtime is always the biggest luxury. It’s no surprise that rest, and sleep in particular, has become a commodity in and of itself, packaged and marketed across the very devices that keep us awake. This was hinted at throughout the collection: oversized, pyjama-like shirting, leather slides that looked like slippers and matching sets hinted at the integration of rest as a style moment.

Giorgio Armani

Knowing this was the final collection to be overseen by the late great designer himself, it’s hard not to wince at what we’ve lost. For decades, Armani built a language of design for himself that has never once strayed from its original purpose: beautiful clothing that was comfortable to wear and made the wearer feel better for wearing it.

Opening the show was the signature greiges that ran down the spectrum to more vivid blues, purples before setting on evening navy and rich dark blues. It was a rainbow as envisioned by Armani, colourful yet restrained. Woven leather jackets, the looser fits, collarless jackets and had all the markings of his contemporary vision. The velvet tuxedos were a reminder of how deft a hand he was at making menswear as elegant and plush as womenswear. Armani’s clothing has always had a sensual vitality to it, and for this finale it was expressed beautifully.

Ferragamo

Maximillian Davis returned to the site of his debut show, the former Milan palazzo that the Ferragamo family have since redeveloped into a travel hotspot, the hotel Portrait Milano.

Travel was clearly on Davis’ mind when creating the collection: a merger of both the Italian jetset and Ferragamo’s personal connection to “Africana” aesthetics back in the 1920s. A century on, and the defiance of the Flapper era and its attunement to rebellion still holds up. Tailoring was languid, belted with draping sashes or worn loosely with sandals. Leather trousers seem to be having their moment this season and Ferragamo’s combined structure and volume in their version, paired with a polo shirt with some serious hardware. 

Jil Sander

I have a softspot for Jil Sander. I’ll never fit into it again, but its determination to always reduce the level of excess on runways is admirable. Jil herself built the brand’s ethos around the purity of the white shirt – this was simplicity of versatility and efficacy is still there, but it’s been thrown in the wash with the colours. Primary, mostly for the menswear, but enough to create an even starker contrast to the greys and blacks. 

It was a lean collection, both literally and aesthetically. Silhouettes rarely varied from the streamlined, the collection of sweaters and trousers only differing in detail or colour combination. But perhaps that was what drew such joy from the eye. We’re bombarded with “stuff” so often, this collection feels like a respite from the noise. 

“I like to think Simone Bellotti is an advocate for the ‘red sock theory’. You know – that excuse for the willing male consumer to spice up their T-shirt and jeans with a red sock. At Jil Sander, the new creative director had it in spades: grey cement suits with cardinal red socks; cobalt blue socks flashed from under a pair of jeans. There’s a lot of power in that.” Tyler Wingo, Senior Writer Esquire.

---

Related:

Burberry’s latest collection reminds us British style is quintessential

The new season’s menswear finds its Boom Town