Milan just staged one of its most eventful fashion weeks in years. Over 200 spring/summer 2027 events ran from a gala dinner for prime minister Giorgia Meloni to an anti-fur protest marching past the Duomo — and the runways kept the drama going.
The standout came from Prada, where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons sent more than 60 skirts down the catwalk: pleated Re-Nylon versions, Velcro fastenings, dramatic slits, crystal and fabric-flower embellishments. Locals read it as a pointed response to Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani's remark that a woman in 'longer skirts' is more serious and reliable. Miuccia's take: 'The skirt is like a T-shirt, you can put any idea you want on it.'
Glenn Martens signed off at Diesel with a spectacle — 200 performers from Marseille troupe La Horde scattered among 1,500 guests, undressing each other to Donna Summer, while wax-coated, moth-eaten denim paraded past. Over at Fendi, Maria Grazia Chiuri channeled Eighties showgirl and gay icon Raffaella Carrà in fluid black tailoring, sheer gilets and animal prints, and Jil Sander's Simone Bellotti delivered quietly warped tailoring for people who never need to try hard.
The house of Armani proved it's moving forward despite the late Giorgio's will requiring a sale of at least 15% of the company by March 2027. Niece Silvana showed a crisp black, white and cream collection inspired by Giorgio's 1942 First Communion suit, while Emporio's final show before Dario Vitale arrives was a haze of grey and ecru in the Tadao Ando-designed theatre.
Loro Piana staged possibly its best collection yet — cashmere duffel coats without toggles, suede field jackets, ladies' tuxedos — inside the Braidense Library. Tod's put artisans sewing gommino loafers at the door of a contemporary art museum, Gucci's Demna built a virtual travertine-and-velvet boutique for 800 guests mixing Tom Ford classics with his own voluminous silhouettes, and Turkish designer Gül Ağış of Lug Von Siga emerged as Milan's new discovery with Rumi-inspired ecru lace.
Party dressing is officially back: Dolce & Gabbana's 'Stravaganza Siciliana' turned antique Sicilian lace and trousseaus into slip dresses and lingerie-topped cocktails (with Jennifer Lopez halting the trams outside), while Roberto Cavalli's Fausto Puglisi went gloriously maximal with leopard and cheetah-head prints.
Why should a traveller care? Because fashion is Italy's engine: a McKinsey study says it drives 5% of industrial production and over a million jobs, and 68% of visitors cite fashion as a top reason for choosing Italy — the world's second-biggest market for tax-free shopping. If you want to shop (or just people-watch) in Milan next spring, these are the trends you'll see filtering into the boutiques on Via Montenapoleone.
