MILAN FASHION WEEK A/W 2026

PRADA, DOLCE & GABBANA, GUCCI, MOSCHINO and ROBERTO CAVALLI

The T-shirt of MOSCHINO’s Creative Director’s Warned, “Don’t Be Silent” as Black Confetti Rained Down from the Sky. From PRADA to DOLCE & GABBANA and ROBERTO CAVALLI, Designers Swore Allegiance to Sombre Black. There was No Grey Zone for Fall 2026/7…

At Dolce & Gabbana

Image Credit Milan Fashion Week and WWD.

Celebrities – from Uma Thurman to Monica Belucci, lined runway shows in Milan, at a point in time where complex issues in the global market and the fashion industry (not to mention a war) proved, shall we say, somewhat challenging.

Despite all that, designers tackled these issues with renewed creativity and ingenuity.

Monochromatic black – for reasons we can only speculate about – was the preferred (non) shade of choice for most, and seen through a dark lens, the beauty of these offerings was amplified, albeit somewhat muted.

Having said that, there were also many joyous flashes of colour in the collections.

This has been a thought-provoking season where brands and designers put their money where their mouths are, making a vocal statement not only about the state of fashion, but also that of the world.

We invite you to sit back and enjoy our picks from the Big Five in Italian fashion.

At Moschino

PRADA

Watch Prada’s Show here: https://milanofashionweek.cameramoda.it/en/brand/13331

Queen of minimalist layering, Miuccia Prada, stuck to her guns and delivered a story that is as intellectual, complex, perplexing and thought-provoking as it is pure joy.

Miuccia Prada explained that the idea was to illustrate “the complexity of layering … complexity, which exists in sentiment, in politics, in life, and that reflects in clothes. It’s about the necessity of changing for living all day. Different personalities, sentiments, sexualities, and this woman lives them together in a day or a life.” Raf Simons added that “It’s also how you dress, the clothes that you decide to have, how you decide to dress. What is possible? There’s another way and another way.”

Unlike the scores of models that brands of Prada’s stature would typically employ, Ms Prada and co-creative director Raf Simon deliberately reduced the cast to only 15.

Each model appeared four times, each time wearing a paired-down version of what came before, to illustrate the art of adaptation, of adding and taking away.

Gorgeous Palastinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid, for example, wore layers that got stripped away with each look, to respectively reveal a canvas jacket, a black coat, a white dress and sporty shorts. Her floral knee-high socks and pointy kitten heels remained a constant across each look.

Every look became a revelation. For example, a chunky jumper gave way to a body-hugging hourglass dress and a black frock revealed a knitted green sweater and pencil skirt.

The concept of layering was thoroughly explored: how we adapt to different situations by adding or subtracting a layer of clothing, how we vary the different layers for the many and varied roles we play every day and how we sometimes challenge ourselves by dressing outside of our comfort zone by means of addition or subtraction.

The ultimate cerebral designer, Miuccia Prada yet again left us pondering, musing and fantasising.

It may well be this uncanny quality of never taking fashion too seriously, of elevating everyday items of clothing to designer objects (it was the humble apron and workwear last season) that makes Prada the brand that is as generic and synonymous with Italian high fashion as the Duomo is to Milan.

At Prada

DOLCE & GABBANA

Watch Dolce & Gabbana’s Show here: https://milanofashionweek.cameramoda.it/en/brand/13295

It was Fashion Noir at Dolce & Gabbana, a virtually all-black display of signature Dolce & Gabbana elements from over the past decades.

The offering shouted one thing above all: glamour!

A collection called ‘Identity’ delivered just that: beautifully tailored coats, jackets, transparent organza dresses, lace dresses and tops, all fashioned in the ultimate classic Dolce & Gabbana ‘non-colour’, black.

Visions of the signature Dolce & Gabbana icon, the irresistibly sensual Sicilian widow, inadvertently sprang to mind.

Floral puff sleeved frou-frou dresses, dramatic 1940s-inspired, nipped-in-the-waist pinstripe suits, leather coats with all-fur bodices and sleeves, and chevron-striped black-and-white faux fur coats rubbed shoulders with the flimsiest of transparent lacy skirts and satin petticoats.

Accessories like shawls and cute little mid-calf socks accompanied lace-up brogues and killer stilettos, to seriously seductive effect.

Chantilly lace, polka dots, the classic white satin shirt, underwear worn as outerwear, head scarves and the ultimate vixen accessory, pillar box red lips, added to the unmistakable Dolce & Gabbana look that we’ve come to know and love since 1989, when Dolce & Gabbana launched their iconic label.

Little has indeed changed over the decades. A look this strong and confident matures with grace and sensuality, just like the archetypal Dolce & Gabbana woman.

At Dolce & Gabbana

GUCCI

A collection aptly named “Primavera’ (Spring) was eagerly awaited by Gucci fans in Milan.

The brand had already undergone a few metamorphoses over the past decades, this time under the creative directorship of Demna, who stated, “above the product, Gucci is culture, it is a way of thinking and a way of being.”

As it stands, Gucci is that brand that everybody literally holds their breath for in eager anticipation of the new direction arguably the hippest of Italian brands will have embarked upon for the next season.

In previous seasons, Gucci’s brave eclecticism, grunge and retro vogue had been effortlessly married to classic Gucci elements (a sporty Adidas track top worn over a ballgown, for example). This sent us straight to our own closets to rediscover what’s lurking there and waiting to be upgraded with a purchase of new Gucci bag or embellished blazer.

Fall 2026/7 was a fun and energetic show, filled with exceedingly chiselled models ranging from the super slim to the totally buffed (who, in all fairness, would have looked stunning in a black PVC bin bag)!

A seemingly seamless, clingy white slip dress opened the show. Fur in all shapes and renditions, metallics, denim, leather, florals and animal prints clothed a bevy of extraordinary models, each evidently picked to portray a facet of the archetypal Gucci wearer.

The offering of a whopping 83 looks varied from ultra-sexy close-cut trousers, body-hugging dresses and super-tight jeans and slacks to more relaxed sportwear leggings and track pants worn underneath trench coats. There was even a romantic floral day dress in the mix!

The collection seems to have catered for the entire spectrum of Gucci lovers – provided you’re super slim and/or ultra-fit.

At Gucci

MOSCHINO

Maverick Italian brand Moschino, known for their epic story-telling collections, did just that again.

Creative director Adrian Appiolaza, gave a nod to his heritage and motherland of Argentina, but it was definitely not a case of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina!’! A T-shirt depicted Eva Peron and a sack full of churros hinted at Argentina, but a whole host of different characters and references also made an appearance on Appiolaza’s stage.

From dancers doing the tango to a bus driver, football fans and well-to-do society ladies – all were kitted out in quirky Moschino fashion.

Just like the founder of a brand that is so intimately synonymous with Italy, Franco Moschino (who was greatly inspired by his partner’s Spanish heritage – hence the oversized hoop earrings and polka dots that became a Moschino signature), Appiolaza also drew references from afar.

From the Olive Oyl cartoon character to the typical banker in a suit, a full repertoire of characters were on display, wearing from raw denim and patchwork frocks, wool dresses, quilted skirts and puffer jackets to South-American-inspired shawls, frills and indigenous weaves.

“The ethos of Moschino stems from joy, so I didn’t want to lose (that) sentiment. But I wanted to be also conscientious of the times that we live in,’’ the creative director stated.

A thought-provoking moment was engineered right at the end of the show when a model appeared with a globe-shaped handbag, a throwback to Franco Moschino’s archives, ‘Save Our Sphere’.

The tone of the show was as playful as ever, but a serious undertone came through loud and clear. Black confetti that rained down ominously during the finale and Appiolaza’s farewell bow saw him wearing a T-shirt that read, “Don’t be Silent”.

At Moschino

ROBERTO CAVALLI

Known over the decades for its glamorous, colourful silk chiffon animal prints, Roberto Cavalli, like many other brands, responded to the world around us for Fall 2026/7.

Creative director Fausto Puglisi had gone sombre – black, mostly, to be exact. “This time I wanted to design a collection that was New Romantic and dark. But this kind of dark is very festive, sensual feminine — and tough. You can still see Cavalli through the texture. You can see every Cavalli detail through this dark lens,” said Puglisi.

Every iteration of black was included in the offering, together with a few diversions into colour (which we’ve deliberately pounced on and illustrated below for the sake of old-times cheerfulness).

A dark filter had been placed over the previously colourful florals, just like the dark cloud hanging over the current world. Even the joyous animal prints had been muted.

Here and there a bit of brightness managed to peek out – the bell sleeves and frilled hems of the tiered dressed were dipped in some colour, with sleeves covering models’ hands, reminiscent of Morticia Adams in The Adams Family.

Grey – from dove grey to charcoal – was one of the ‘least black’ shades on display. Phew!

As for shapes – voluminous trousers, tutu skirts, sequinned mini-dresses, biker’s jackets and body-hugging flamenco-style ballgowns echoed the signature sexy Roberto Cavalli silhouettes.

Fashion is pure social commentary. It’s as clear as day that designers like Puglisi are using their brands and platforms to do just that.