MFW SS26: A Week So Full And Rich, Both In Imagery And Moments

Italian houses gave an amazing performance mastering the art of spectacle and the opulence in craftsmanship.

Sportmax

To fashion lovers, Milan is the ultimate place to experience fashion. It is a stage where culture and luxury intersect with the city’s vibes and its stylish crowd. The Spring–Summer 2026 season carried a profound weight which was not only about thecollections, but also about creative transitions, tributes to legacy, and the ongoing tension between tradition and innovation. This year, Milan became a mirror reflecting the shifting state of the fashion industry itself.

Trends we spotted-and liked

Yes, we definitely will be wearing pencil skirts this spring.Jil Sander, Fendi, Versace can testify under oath that pencil skirts are to be big.

Tod’s

And what about bras? We mean, of course we will be wearing one, but it seems that next season the bra is becoming the ultimate star and not just “our secret”. Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Emporio Armani definitely revealed their secret in their collections.

Prada

Yellow shades are expected to be very popular too, judging by Bottega Veneta, Prada and Ferragamo. But not the mild buttery tones that we saw last spring. This time, fashion went for bright, shiny and eye-catching.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Grey was also trending. Max Mara,The Attico and Prada showed that despite its neutral colour, grey can be very powerful. And judging by Max Mara’s approach, quite sexy as well.

Max Mara

Coats though, were undeniably the stars of the season. Lush, extravagant and provocative, they really meant business. From Gucci’s animal prints to Bottega Veneta’s intricate leather creations, coats became the fashion statement we all wanted to make.

Fringes are still a thing. Bags, clothes, scarves were full of playful fringes; some were even full-length touching the floor. Their sense of movement is emitting elegance and power and the longer they are, the more slender silhouettes look. Definitely voting for them.

Standout Debuts

Versace

One of the most talked-about moments was the first collection of Dario Vitale for Versace. It being the first time the house's creative director was not a member of the Versace familycreated a sense of suspensealong with the rumours of the soon-to-happen sale of the house to Prada. Vitale presented a collection stripped of mythological references -only three looks had some of what we’d call a typical Versace pattern- and gold tones.The collection began like a parade awash with colour while it gradually evolved andemphasized on sexuality and nostalgia. It was daring and divisive, but undeniably injected new energy into a brand that is going through a turbulent period.

Versace

Gucci

Another headline moment came from Gucci, where Demna made his long-anticipated debut- or not? Instead of a traditional runway, Gucci presented a short film with the ominous title “The Tiger”. The cinematic approach was surprising but strategic. It dazzled the crowd with its star-studded cast so much that no one bothered to ask whether the reason why there wasn’t a full show was that Demna hadn’t prepared a full collection.Guess we wouldn’t exaggerate to say, that Gucci stole the show without even putting one on at the first place.

Bottega Veneta

At BottegaVeneta, the arrival of Louise Trotter marked a new era. Her debut kept distance from the theatrical elements of past creative leadership and leaned deeply into the house’s artisanal core — weaving, tactility, and understatement.Critics praised Trotter for restoring balance between heritage and forward-thinking design.We loved so many things about the collection: the intrecciato coats, the vivid sweaters from recycled fiberglass that glimmered, the voluminous silhouettes, the bags, oh my! Seems like Bottega Veneta was deeply in need of a woman’s touch. And we are so glad it got one.

Bottega Veneta

Jil Sander

After four seasons at Bally, Simone Bellotti's appointment at Jil Sander this March, raised the bar. Bellotti opted for a subtler but equally significant reset.Rather than a radical reinvention, his collection preserved Jil Sander’s minimalist DNA while softening its austerity with gentle silhouettes and lightness in structure. His version of the distinctive Jil Sander double-faced coats was superb and the A-line skirts had such a skillfully-made architectural line. Realistic, yet so sublime.

Jil Sander

Farewell to a real legend

The moment that we will never forget though, was the Armani show. The farewell to the man that shaped modern Italian fashion, to a gentleman like no other. The show for thelast collection of the emblematic designer, who passed on September 4^th, was one of the most emotional moments in the history of fashion. The candlelit Pinacoteca di Brera filled with the divine melodies of Ludovico Einaudi and the divine creations of Giorgio brought us to tears. Rest in heaven where you belong to, Mr Armani.