The Fashion Forecast: Everything We Loved At Milan Fashion Week

At Milan Fashion Week, the front rows were abuzz with the anticipation of Demna’s debut at Gucci, as well as what Louise Trotter and Simone Bellotti had in store for their sophomore shows at Bottega Veneta and Jil Sander respectively. “Milan continues to define modern luxury, balancing heritage with fresh perspective,” says Brigitte Chartrand, NET-A-PORTER’s chief buying and merchandising director. “Demna’s debut at Gucci brought a bold, subversive energy, while Prada reinforced its conceptual strength through inventive tailoring and texture. Dolce&Gabbana leaned into sharp, ’90s-inspired silhouettes and we saw statement tailoring, lace, all-black looks, thigh-high boots and shearling trims emerge as standout trends.” Read on for more…

Italian fashion is synonymous with extravagance. Think Milan, and your mind conjures Pucci and Missoni prints, Gucci’s bold and eclectic collections and Versace’s va va voom. But there is also the Italian concept of sprezzatura (an unstudied nonchalance) and the ‘made in Italy’ markers of unparalleled quality. Thus, Milan’s overriding minimalist mood may come as a surprise, but the city has a long history of pared-back perfection, too. Take ex-Gucci, ex-Bally Simone Bellotti, whose background is in tailoring, meaning he has the hands-on skills required to turn classic palettes and fabrics into something extraordinary. Bellotti described his second outing for Jil Sander on The Run-Through with Vogue podcast as the olive in a martini – “this extra thing that makes the cocktail perfect” – which played out as more innovative silhouettes and color combinations without forsaking the brand’s signature restraint. For her sophomore show, Louise Trotter was inspired by Milan’s Brutalism and sensuality, which translated as sculptural tailoring and separates in a mostly subdued palette for the first half of the show.

At her Marni debut, Meryll Rogge added a playful twist to her collection by pairing colorful socks with Mary Janes and lace-up kitten heels in a move that chimes perfectly with the brand’s artsy aesthetic. At Dolce&Gabanna, meanwhile, mid-calf socks and semi-sheer hosiery were also deployed as an unexpected finishing touch. Here, they came in all-black, adding texture and sensuality and serving to elongate the silhouettes.

While Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons gave the most seamless lesson in layering with their Russian doll-esque Prada show – where models took multiple turns on the runway, peeling off a layer each time – at Missoni, Alberto Caliri proved that sometimes you don’t need to ‘look in the mirror and take one thing off before leaving the house’ (as per Coco Chanel’s famous advice). Coats, bombers, cardigans and blazers were piled on liberally, with scarves and shawls as the cherry on the cake. Marni’s Meryll Rogge gave a masterclass in artfully mixing color, pattern and texture. Get ready to level up your layering next season.

This fall, gloves need to be at least elbow length – bonus points for bicep height – and your boots should be so long they could be mistaken for pants. At Max Mara, all 45 looks were styled with long suede gloves and many with suede thigh-skimming boots. Meanwhile at Sportmax, both extravagant gloves and extra-long, slouchy leather boots served as the focal point of many looks. On the streets, tastemakers showed off elegant elbow-length gloves with short-sleeve shirts or by rolling up the sleeves of coats – a simple but sophisticated styling trick.

An inky palette, lace, leather, sheer hosiery, second-skin silhouettes, a pulsating soundtrack and Madonna on the front row was enough to teleport showgoers back to the ’90s after dark. Dolce&Gabbana designed Madonna’s wardrobe for her 1993 ‘Girlie Show’ tour, so it was fitting that she was in attendance for a show that celebrated the brand’s roots. Meanwhile, Gucci was the biggest talking point of the week, as Demna made his debut, for which he revisited the brand’s heady Tom Ford era with slinky, short and sparkling silhouettes. Kate Moss closed the show, modeling an iconic, scintillating Gucci G-string beneath a shimmering maxi dress.

Threading the shows together in London was this sense of gothic glamour and thrill-seeking. Picture Margot Robbie’s Cathy Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights on a night out in London in 2026. In fact, many fashion editors at Simone Rocha’s show lamented that the Irish designer hadn’t been the one to create the costumes for Emerald Fennell’s ultra-stylized revival of the literary classic. Rocha’s gorgeous fall offering was as whimsical and romantic as we’ve come to expect – this time with a side serving of athleisure, courtesy of an Adidas Originals collaboration.

Our London girl’s tipple of choice? A dirty martini – with green olives – sipped while wrapped up in Burberry’s matching olive-green trench, featuring gun flaps that have been transformed into extravagant ruffles. Creative director Daniel Lee sought to conjure a wardrobe for London after dark, wherever the night might take you. “London offers such a breadth of life at night, and that was really what we wanted to celebrate,” he told Vogue backstage. Olive green cropped up on Paris-born, London-based designer Pauline Dujancourt’s runway too, in the shape of a pretty lace crop-top and matching floaty skirt. Crop tops are set to be the ‘going-out top’ of choice this fall – although, if you’re seeking more demure ways to wear them, look to Simone Rocha and Erdem, who paired theirs with sleek midi skirts topped with neat jackets or cardigans.

Last season, we heralded the arrival of the red knit after spotting it on stylish tastemakers at New York Fashion Week. And while red was still very much present on the fall/winter ’26 runways, there were two other colors vying for attention: purple and chartreuse. Chic New Yorkers such as Zoë Kravitz and Jennifer Lawrence have already shown us how to give winter layering a joyful lift with bold purple scarves wrapped nonchalantly over puffer coats and tailoring. NET-A-PORTER buying manager Lydia Zacharis is another early adopter of the shade and was photographed at the shows with a purple cable-knit sweater draped over the shoulders of a long black shearling coat, styled with a leopard-print skirt. Designers plumbing for purple next season include Carolina Herrera and buzzy newcomer Colleen Allen. Chartreuse, on the other hand, packed a punch at Kallmeyer, Ulla Johnson and Tory Burch, with tones ranging from citrus brights to glistening metallics. Accessories are always a great way to subtly incorporate color, so consider Khaite’s cult ‘Lotus’ bag in a rich purple, or go all in with Tove’s ruched chartreuse ‘Eira’ gown.

New Yorkers are not ones to be deterred by inclement weather conditions. Despite sub-zero temperatures and slushy streets, crisp white denim was unexpectedly ubiquitous. Archaic rules around white denim and its seasonal appropriateness have long been abandoned, so take yours out of the ‘summer’ section of your closet and style it with a leather jacket, a cashmere knit and ankle boots – the trick is to keep a few inches between the hems and the sidewalk. For bright whites, look to styles by Frame and Citizens of Humanity; for creamier tones, Nili Lotan and Agolde have you covered.