Milan Fashion Week was marked by transition, with new names stepping in as others bid farewell. Sunnei’s founders staged a theatrical exit through an imagined art auction, while Giorgio Armani prepared a final bow that doubled as a retrospective of his five decades in fashion. At Versace, Dario Vitale debuted with bold color and archival references, while Louise Trotter introduced her vision for Bottega Veneta through craft-driven restraint. Tod’s reaffirmed Italian artisanal tradition, MSGM turned its anniversary into a street party, and Elisabetta Franchi explored light and shadow. Even emerging labels like SA SU PHI highlighted identity and authenticity.
Sunnei Unexpected Departure
Courtesy of SUNNEI.
Courtesy of SUNNEI.
In an unprecedented collaboration, SUNNEI joined forces with Christie’s Fine Art auctioneers to bring fashion into the auction house. The result was a fictional sale where items such as the brand’s logo, the founders themselves, and collectibles were theatrically “auctioned.” Guests received scratch-off tickets that revealed “fashion dollars” to purchase the lots, further blurring the line between art, commerce, and performance.
“Fashion is finance, creativity is for sale,”
-collection notes
The spectacle quickly took on new meaning when founders Simone Rizzo and Loris Messina announced on social media, moments later, that they were leaving SUNNEI. Their departure transformed the show into a farewell gesture—rare in an industry where most designers are forced out rather than choosing their exit. The final collection was quietly poetic, marked by burgundy earthy hues, supple leather jackets, culottes, flowy skirts, and flared pants. What initially seemed like an experimental presentation now reads as a graceful goodbye, staged entirely on their own terms.
Tod’s Leave Your Mark
Courtesy of Tod’s.
Courtesy of Tod’s.
For Spring/Summer 2026, Tod’s presented “Leave Your Mark,” a tribute to Italian craftsmanship under creative director Matteo Tamburini. Garments moved fluidly around the body in sun-warmed shades like saffron yellow, while stripes—an eternal summer motif—were reimagined in leather and featherlight fabrics. Tailored trenches with cotton inserts revealed artisanal detail, while leathers were elevated with inlays, perforations, and hand-stitched seams, affirming the house’s high standards of refinement.
The iconic Gommino was reintroduced both in its classic style and a new open-toe iteration punctuated by perforations. Multicolored hand-threaded leather contrasted against minimal silhouettes, while the Di Bag Folio appeared in a layered, inlaid construction. The T Timeless evolved with a new top handle marked by graphic cut-outs, and the Wave Bag echoed the Gommino’s stitching for a cohesive aesthetic. Tamburini’s collection wove heritage with innovation, offering an elegant manifesto for Italian design. Each detail spoke to Tod’s enduring ability to refresh the codes of luxury while staying true to its artisanal soul.
MSGM Advocating to Wear Now
Courtesy of MSGM.
Courtesy of MSGM.
MSGM’s “HERE (AND NOW)” collection, celebrates the brand’s 15th anniversary with a burst of color, pattern, and immediacy. The lineup mixed stripes, polka dots, florals, python prints, checks, and graphic motifs across cottons, denim, chiffon, sequins, eco-leather, and sheer fabrics. The result was a balance of romance, energy, and optimism—light yet intense, playful yet sophisticated. Fun remained at the center of MSGM’s DNA, channeled through clothes meant to be worn straight off the runway.
The celebration unfolded outside the brand’s Brera boutique, once a brutalist bank. Guests sipped Campari on Artemide and Fiam chairs while watching models parade in bold looks that connected MSGM’s roots with Milan’s 1980s creative scene. The show embraced spontaneity, community, and a reminder of fashion’s ability to delight in the present moment. Rather than waiting for seasons ahead, MSGM urged guests to embrace the joy of wear now, celebrating style as an immediate experience.
Versace Welcomes Dario Vitale’s Bold Debut
Courtesy of Versace.
Courtesy of Versace.
Following Donatella Versace’s departure, Dario Vitale stepped into the creative director role with a bold debut for Spring/Summer 2026. Immersing himself in the Versace archives, he unearthed letters, photographs, and ephemera to reconnect with the brand’s essence—“life lived freely, fully, without apology or restraint.” This spirit became the foundation of his first collection.
Vitale’s vision honored Italian elegance while twisting it with contemporary impulses. He drew on Mediterranean mythology and Magna Grecia artistry, evoking sensuality through color blocking, face prints, cowboy references, and layered tops. Saturated hues—electric blue, vivid pink, lime green, and sunlit yellow—set a vibrant tone while maintaining the sharpness of Versace’s codes. Silhouettes embraced ease, amplifying confidence and sensuality as personal traits rather than prescriptive aesthetics. Vitale’s debut felt both respectful of legacy and audacious in direction, a statement that Versace remains an emblem of boldness and vitality. It was an exhilarating start that promises much for his tenure.
Elisabetta Franchi’s Story of Contrasts
Courtesy of Stefano Massé and Elisabetta Franchi.
Courtesy of Stefano Massé and Elisabetta Franchi.
Elisabetta Franchi staged her Spring/Summer 2026 show inside Palazzo Acerbi, a baroque Milanese landmark steeped in mystery. The venue set the tone for a collection built on dualities, light and shadow, softness and strength. A pale pink carpet and glowing archway framed models as they walked, their looks catching light that emphasized movement and transparency. Draped jersey and tulle inserts revealed skin, while tailored blazers, sharp shoulders, and low-rise skirts balanced fluidity with structure.
Franchi explored textures with satin patterned to echo ostrich leather, alongside organza, leather, and fringed details. Voluminous silhouettes alternated with body-conscious knits, creating tension between sensuality and power. Even denim entered the mix, distressed and frayed to underscore carefree energy. The palette spanned from stark black to nude, boudoir pink, and clay, dramatizing the play of extremes. Ultimately, the collection narrated the evolving identity of the modern woman: complex, multifaceted, and unafraid to express every side of herself through fashion.
SA SU PHI: A Statement of Identity
Courtesy of Sa Su Phi.
Courtesy of Sa Su Phi.
Founded by women and for women, SA SU PHI translates architectural principles into wearable design. Their collection positions fashion as both structure and expression, merging discipline, belonging, and pride into garments meant to empower. At its foundation was cashmere knitwear, soft against the skin yet powerful in presence. Complementary silks and cottons introduced fluidity and contrast, while tailoring fused feminine contours with masculine precision.
“A statement of freedom, independence, and wholeness,”
-collection notes
Color became a form of therapy—red marking boundaries, yellow radiating light, and green offering grounding—balanced by muted shades of military khaki, blush, ivory, grey, and navy. Each look carried clarity and authority, designed for women unwilling to recede into the background. Instead, SA SU PHI’s wearer strides confidently, celebrating authenticity as style. More than fashion, the collection was a manifesto of identity, embracing complexity, balance, and resilience in forms that are at once delicate and strong.
BOTTEGA VENETA: Louise Trotter’s Quiet Revolution
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
Courtesy of Bottega Veneta.
Louise Trotter’s debut for Bottega Veneta was among the most anticipated shows of the season. Stepping into a house defined by craftsmanship, Trotter looked back to the origins of the brand and to Laura Braggion, Bottega’s first female creative who shaped its identity through the 1980s and 2000s. This sense of lineage gave the collection a grounded starting point, balancing archival respect with modernity.
The runway spoke in textures rather than noise. Leather was treated as fabric—cut, folded, and layered into garments that moved softly despite their strength. Knitwear hugged the body with ease, while tailoring was precise yet fluid, allowing for both protection and release. The famous intrecciato weave appeared in unexpected ways, scaled up, fragmented, or worked into accessories with architectural clarity. The palette leaned earthy—ochres, forest greens, deep browns—punctuated by flashes of citron and indigo. Trotter’s first statement was less about reinvention and more about quiet revolution, reaffirming Bottega’s power.
An Ode to Giorgio Armani
Courtesy of Giorgio Armani.
Courtesy of Giorgio Armani.
In a poignant farewell, Giorgio Armani spent his final months curating a 50-year retrospective, staged in Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera gallery. The cloistered courtyard, illuminated with lanterns, became a love letter to the places closest to his heart: Brera, where he lived, and Pantelleria, the volcanic island that served as his sanctuary. The duality between Milan’s urban modernity and Pantelleria’s untamed beauty infused the collection’s spirit.
Fabrics floated with elegance, tailoring stretched into elongated lines, and dresses shimmered in ethereal hues. Armani’s palette transitioned from earthy neutrals to midnight blues, narrating a story of light, sea, and sky. Each look reflected the designer’s lifelong belief that garments must harmonize with their wearer, enhancing rather than overwhelming. The show unfolded like a dreamscape, delicate yet assured, epitomizing Armani’s vision of timeless grace. More than a collection, it was a farewell poem, closing a chapter of fashion history with dignity and serenity.
