by Milan Fashion Week came to an end on Saturday after several days of shows. The message from designers this season? Chic style doesn’t have to be boring.
Read on for elegant yet exciting looks you’ll want to get noticed for Spring/Summer 2025…
1. The shirt dress – Fendi
When it comes to outfits that require almost zero thought, are super comfortable to wear and look smart enough for work, a shirt dress (as seen at Fendi) is your secret weapon. Long sleeves, a sharp collar and a cushioned length that sits just below the knee add up to the ultimate no-brainer wardrobe staple. It also came in pale aquamarine, but the taupe version is more practical as well as effortlessly chic. Fringe bag and optional embroidered socks. SS
2. Luxury but make it colorful – Brioni
In the last few years, luxury fashion has been associated with beige and more beige. By Brioni, creative director Norbert Stumpfl takes a more creative approach. Nobody in Brioni-land wants a fuchsia trench. But when it comes to the perfect blazer, why not make it in tomato red silk or powder blue, then wear it with cream?
Stumpfl has been in operation since 2018 and Brioni – especially its womenswear – has been one of the most talked about off-schedule collections. There are no big flashy shows for this house. Instead, take a chance and touch those fluid pants, the flawless shirts and the supple bucket bags. “It’s all about the drape and the fabrics,” Stumpfl told me, as a model walked towards us in a mismatched pantsuit that looked like the easiest thing to wear because so much thought had gone into the construction. “The idea is to make it look like nothing but everything at the same time,” he says. LA
3. The uneven half line – Bottega Veneta
At Bottega Veneta, considered by many to be the best part of the Milan season, creative director Matthieu Blazy was in a playful mood. Taking inspiration from a child dressed in their parents’ clothes, he showed oversized jackets and coats and voluminous knits. An uneven hemline makes a sweeping statement (literally) and this beautiful orange version has the potential to be a showstopper. But paired with a relaxed slouchy sweater and flats, it offers that combination of cool comfort. SS
4. The longest shirt – Brunello Cucinelli
Three significant developments here. 1. A new detail on trousers that are sometimes gathered and flared at the waist band but are always elegant. 2. The longer line shirt, designed to show under blazers or cropped jackets. (How this will work for shorter women remains to be seen but designers everywhere are playing with these proportions – their translation to the real world will depend on how well they get everything down in retail.) 3. The maxi skirt – which is no longer the case. a floaty cut piece, inclined for off duty, but a tailored item with real presence.
Add some intricate embroidery and twinkly beading, and Cuccinelli is now targeting not just the billionaire tech set, but the red carpet crowd as well. LA
5. How Now, Brown Wow – Max Mara
Brown already has a strong selection in the Autumn – check out the high street. But the way Max Mara put it into this collection could make you consider wearing it in spring and summer as well. All you need are good fabrics, clean lines and a pop of white. More details: slim maxi skirts with matching cropped jackets or longer line blazers and flat sandals (many worn with crisp cotton shirts and gold jewelery) add up to a fun but relaxed summer work or dinner outfit. LA
6. 50s coat – Prada
Miuccia Prada and her co-designer Raf Simons were in an uncompromising mood with this collection that sparkled in the eye of beauty. We’re talking fake proportions, loose trousers tucked into white cowboy boots and a pea green thigh-length jacket; strange sunglasses, which destroy the forehead and futuristic metallic skirts with circles punched out of them.
The color combinations are also punchy: medicinal pink, orange and purple. But if you’re interested in the modern marketing appetite, here’s a case study: how to put on a confusing ‘crowd art’ show, but still deliver commercial pieces in store. And there was plenty: this animal print 50s-esque coat, wearable knits and, of course, many bags – including a compact, patent bucket style. LA
7. Scarf top – Missoni
‘Let loose and have fun’ seemed to be the message at Missoni, where chiffon and jumpers in primary colors were artfully laid out in modern and Mondrian effects. The best iteration was origami-esque scarf tops – wear them on holiday evenings next summer with easy wide leg trousers. CL
8. Armani without the price tag – Emporio Armani
Armani’s classic silhouette is unmistakable. The elegant Italian master has made stylish androgyny for nearly half a century. But those unstructured, long-lined jackets and cropped trousers can come with a pretty comfortable price tag. The answer is to go to Emporio Armani, the brand’s younger sibling. This slim belted shirt, in a soft gray blue with dropped shoulder sleeves and matching criss-cross trousers, is unmistakably Armani but without the wallet-busting side effects. SS
9. Blue bell – Tod’s
The Tod’s look is all about slim, casual daywear. In a season when colors from chocolate to cream through caramel and taupe dominated – especially on the Tod’s runway – the house nevertheless offered jolts of cheerful colour. While lemon yellow might be a challenging shade for a raincoat, you can’t argue with the pleasing effect of a cerulean top. The cut on this azure number is minimal and worthy and the proportions of the navy trousers are as generous as the tan bag. And that blue sky will lift any outfit – or mood. SS
10. The flapper dress – Dolce & Gabbana
Designers of the 1990s and 1920s drew inspiration this fashion week in Milan – sometimes combining those references. At Dolce & Gabbana, history’s most famous playful blondes inspired the collection – from Marlene Dietrich to Madonna. Flowing with fringed beading, the midi dresses want to be taken out to a party and matched with a champagne coupe next summer. CL
11. Clips of the city – Loro Piana
Designers are forever wearing shorts down the runway in the hope that one day the trend will catch on. It’s usually a lost cause. But for the first time in Milan, fashion editors on the front row wanted to try the look. So how to make them possible in real life? We’ll leave the hotpants to others to promote, but Loro Piana has delivered a pair of city-friendly bermudas that make a great case for culottes as work wear. And all with excellent Loro Piana manufacturing and expert cutting. SS
12. Very Casual – Gucci
Dividers are well and truly back at Gucci, as well as coordinated – in chocolate or black leather. Trench and parkas sweep the floor and, as elsewhere, there are mirrored silver dresses and separates for those Gatsby-style parties someone, somewhere is still wearing. Creative director Sabato De Sarno calls it “casual grandeur”.
But the first few looks and the last one sum up next season’s forecast: relaxed zip front jackets, loose trousers or shorts and an even greater focus on flared shirts and jeans (not that most people look at Gucci with for day clothes).
This is still a house best known for bags (look out for the fringe and Debbie Harry-inspired Blondie in the front row). Mind you, nostalgics (and increasingly including Gen X) will also appreciate the Tom Ford era column dresses. LA
13. High/low dressing – Versace
Want to make the most of your bottom half with, say, a glittery gold pencil skirt? Then top it off with a classic brown shirt. These are the new rules according to Donatella Versace who made a compelling case for wearing glamor every time of the day. CL
14. Ballet shoes – Ferragamo
Fashion’s obsession with ballet continues next season – we saw tutus and leotard wraps on the catwalk in London, and now Milan too. At Ferragamo, designer Maximilian Davis took a particular interest in the workout wardrobe – knitted wrap cardigans and jersey leggings, in a mix of pale pink, lilac and burgundy. The two takeaways that anyone could bring to their everyday wardrobe are those wrap cardigans and, easiest of all, ballet shoes. The Ferragamo ones come with impressive silk ribbon ties. CL
