Everything we saw at Milan Fashion Week

What?

100 years of Fendi distilled into a singular proposition of Italian craft that whispered – rather than flounced – its wrought and toiled credentials.

What went down?

After a more directional offering last season, where style cues came from subcultural figureheads such as Princess Julia and Judy Blame, artistic director Kim Jones gave himself a tighter brief for SS25, girding his loins for Fendi’s centenary. Paying homage to the house’s Roman beginnings with palazzo embroidery and flashier touches – intricate jewels dotted along tulle and ballet pink socks – Kim’s offering had coolness and poise, a stark relief from the chaos of London. In a way, its the collection’s wearability was also modest, dialled-up with blink-or-you’ll-miss-it finesse.

A mocha tunic that hung from the shoulders with a calculated, just-rolled-out-of-bed ease was a case in point, neatly yoked across the midriff. It came paired with a tasselled Peekaboo bag, which, in spite of Jones otherwise eschewing trendy tropes, chimed with the jangly keyring fad – albeit with a beaded micro Baguette and salmon-hued pom-pom in lieu of novelty acrylic trinkets. Throughout, Kim aligned his palette with Silvia Venturini Fendi’s’s menswear collection from June, leaning into Fendi teal, cement and buttermilk that have become bywords for luxury fashion.

What was that sound?

The dulcet tones of Silvia Venturini Fendi and her mother Anna Fendi, overlaid with tinkling piano. Scored by Jones’ long-time collaborator Max Richter, the soundtrack offered a moving insight into Fendi’s lore as Anna and Silvia discussed the FF matriarch Adele Fendi, their mother and grandmother, respectively.

Who was there?

Heartthrob Arón Piper, London legend Raye, Jade Thirlwall and South Korean Fendi poster girl Song Hye Kyo.

In two words?

Understated opulence.

What?

A merger of C‑suite attire and weekend wardrobes, designed for a high-flying clientele – new and old money alike.

Where?

Inside Milan’s Palazzo del Senato, an ornate cloistered courtyard you might recognise from Samuel Ross’ Kohler activation held during Milan Design Week.

What went down?

Well, Hugo Boss is the luxury wing of the Boss family and, as such, the show was especially attuned to the contemporary CEO’s needs. Rather than leaning into the typically bolshy tailoring and austere womenswear that’s held fort at the label for some time, senior vice president of creative direction Marco Falcioni leant into softer silhouettes for men, hero-ing shirt-polo hybrids – primed with stiff collars – and three-button blazers in hardy canvas. The latter was replicated for the women, albeit with a nipped waist, pleated along the flanks. Another standout was the mac, which arrived in red-orange leather, or what appeared to be cooler bonded cottons in navy. A must for Thursday evenings in the city.

The sartorial takeaway?

While dress-down Fridays are increasingly rare in the new corporate workplace, there are still plenty of men and women who prefer a proper suit over the gilet-slacks-On-Clouds that now defines the billionaire class. Just look at the German label’s growth trajectory – onwards and upwards.

The models?

All the faces du jour: Alex Consani, Colin Jones and Paloma Elsesser served corporate baddie.