With Fashion Month transitioning to Paris, Milan closed Fall-Winter 2026 with a quiet but notable shift. Marni entered a new chapter under fresh creative direction. SUNNEI stepped away from the traditional runway format. Jil Sander continued refining its identity under new leadership, while Bottega Veneta explored the tension between brutalism and sensuality.
These brands reflect a broader recalibration—less about rigid archetypes, more about lived-in modernity. The silhouettes are relaxed, the codes more personal. Rather than dictating how one should dress, the collections consider how clothing feels on the body. The emphasis shifts from spectacle to intimacy, signaling a Milan increasingly comfortable with evolution over tradition.
Bottega Venetta: Softened Brutalism
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
For Winter 2026, Bottega Veneta explores a dialogue between brutalism and sensuality. Structure, typically rigid and architectural, is softened—outerwear becomes protective yet intimate, strength layered with vulnerability.
Daywear archetypes are subtly reworked through personal memory. A grandmother’s floral evening purse, a father’s worn-in shoes—nostalgic references blur generational and gender lines. The message is clear: garments succeed because of the wearer. Power lies not in the trend, but in the individual who animates it.
A distinctly Milanese attitude runs through the collection, grounded in a quiet “me first” confidence. Dressing up is framed as personal pride rather than spectacle. Fur-like textiles are rendered in silk, fil coupé, knit, and technical fibers across ready-to-wear, jewelry, and footwear, demonstrating material innovation without excess. At its core, the collection argues that fashion must first please the wearer. Confidence emerges from that private exchange—between mind and instinct, structure and softness.
Jil Sander: The Precision of Restraint
Courtesy of Jil Sander.
Courtesy of Jil Sander.
For his second outing at Jil Sander, Creative Director Simone Bellotti turned inward—toward the home. Domestic codes and familiar tropes become the foundation, distilled through the house’s heightened restraint.
A palette of faded neutrals moves alongside black, navy, and slate grey. Bellotti demonstrates a precise understanding of the brand’s legacy, placing emphasis not on grand silhouettes but on detail: high slits slicing through coats, bar tacks securing folds, exacting tailoring that rewards a closer look. The eye is guided quietly.
Tension emerges between womenswear and menswear. Exaggerated heels contrast with unisex, square-toe lace-ups and distressed suede boots. Structure meets softness. Accessories hint at evolution, with sunglasses offering a first glimpse of a collaboration with Oliver Peoples. Silhouettes remain controlled, almost austere. Excess is deliberately absent. Instead, the collection asserts that intrigue lies in precision—proof that simplicity, when sharpened, carries its own authority.
SUNNEI: Community Over Catwalk
Courtesy of SUNNEI.
Courtesy of SUNNEI.
Following the departure of its founders last season, SUNNEI chose not to stage a traditional runway for Fall Winter 2026. Instead, the brand presented the collection during MOMENTO 09—part of its ongoing series of intimate monthly gatherings hosted at its flagship café-gallery in Milan, livestreamed on YouTube. MOMENTO SUNNEI exists to foster real-life connections in an increasingly digital world.
Swiss-Portuguese performer Lara Dâmaso delivered a live performance exploring the dialogue between voice, body, and space, setting the tone for a collection centered on presence. Silhouettes are elongated and relaxed, less about rigid structure and more about movement. Geometry takes the lead through stripes, plaids, and diagonal lines.
Color moves freely—from pastel pinks to earthy greens, jewel tones, and stark black-and-white. While monochrome appears, it is the bold contrasts that define the mood. Knitwear and denim ground the offering in tactility. The result feels communal and democratic—fashion not as spectacle, but as shared experience and personal expression.
Marni: Meryll Rogge’s Debut
Photo by Filippo Fior. Courtesy of Marni.
Photo by Filippo Fior. Courtesy of Marni.
For Fall Winter 2026, Meryll Rogge makes her debut as Creative Director of Marni, introducing a recalibrated vocabulary that reconnects the brand to its core emblems. Looking back to the archives, Rogge revamps some of Marni’s most iconic prints—reworking polka dots, bias checks, patchwork, and gradient stripes through shifts in proportion and texture. The result feels both reverent and newly assertive.
Contrasts drive the narrative. Leather meets organza and satin; mountaineering references inspired by the Prealps bordering Milan infuse sportswear into tailoring. Broderie anglaise and bold stitching become visible markers of craft and belonging. Accessories reinforce continuity within evolution. The Fussbett sandal and Trunk bag return in subtle reinterpretations. High shoes, sculptural jewelry, and tactile finishes disrupt monotony, celebrating the pleasure of choosing one’s own look.
The human hand remains central—reversed seams, oversized sequin embroideries, and mother-of-pearl paillettes emphasize material presence. The show space, conceived with FORMAFANTASMA, envelops the collection in warmth, underscoring Rogge’s vision of Marni as expressive, archival, and alive.
