Milan Fashion Week was a tornado of fun and chaos

If there wasn’t a pop star performance on the runway, then celebs were seated front row. If there wasn’t an audacious set, then at least Adriana Lima, Amelia Gray, Paloma Elsesser or Alex Consani emerged from the shadows to make up for it.

At Versace, Donatella’s cast might have included familiar nepo baby faces (Lila Moss and Romeo Beckham) but that’s where all predictability ended. Glenn Martens, meanwhile, debuted a riotous Diesel collection, an opulent-lady-meets-sleazeball affair with a tinge of Chanel. Blumarine saw David Koma step into his creative director role – the Georgian designer previously never strayed from his own namesake brand – and with all its lithe frames, it was a softer side than we’re used to seeing from his namesake label.

Milan totally gave Paris a run for its money. A FACE friend, impressed by the incessant roster of stunts, texted me to say: ​“Have I fucked up by not going to Milan this season?!” We’ll let you be the judge of that.

On any given day, a Dsquared2 show is always going to give drama. But when you throw a 30^th-anniversary bash into the mix? Just try and keep us away. A ferocious downpour didn’t discourage the fashion circuit from the free bar – gin and vodka grapefruit drinks flowed ahead of the show. Vogue Business’s Senior Trends Editor Lucy McGuire gawked at the interior and said: ​“This is better than my 30^th!”

To start, Doechii hopped out of a monster truck and sprinted down the catwalk to her smash-hit Nissan Altima in shorts, a backpack filled with Dsquared2 dollars. She had a flimsy white train behind her, with 30 seconds to kill it. Mission accomplished, we’d say.

Next, Irina Shayk hit the stage in a fur hat, parka and sheer dress. Was she ready for a snowstorm or to dance the night away? The jury is still out. For her second performance, Doechii brought City Girl JT along for the ride. The pair performed their collab Alter Ego as Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Brigitte Nielsen and Dan and Dean Caten circled them on stage. It was camp, kitsch, some of it downright ugly, and admittedly plenty of clothes from the collection are nowhere near everyday attire, but it did get the people going. It also reinforced that there’s a spectacle drought in the industry (though new designers are trying to fill the void by risk-taking and showing off schedule) and the art of performance is essential.

Speaking of surprise stage moments, Sean Paul gave a rollicking performance for Fendi’s 100^th anniversary. Silvia Venturini Fendi, the house’s creative director, enlisted her grandkids to open the doors to the catwalk in a version of the look Silvia wore, age six, for her first Fendi show in 1966. Sweet! Paloma Elsesser, Lindsey Wixson and Gabbriette wore saccharine slip dresses. Another head-turning moment via Azealia Banks, who turned up to support David Koma’s inaugural Blumarine show – then, she told us all about it. Milan certainly didn’t underestimate the power of a good (or, ahem, controversial) pop star.

K‑Way, meanwhile, was a welcome curveball to the usual woollen medleys seen across Milan, offering up a contemporary take on its signature, packable nylons in primaries and shouty colour blocking. Amongst the waterproof shirting – one even came with a nylon necktie – and bridal reworks of the classic, 1965 Le Vrai windbreaker, came a fresh vision. At a time when talk on the ground is all about starry creative directors and their career jumps, it was refreshing to see a good old-fashioned outerwear label – founded 60 years back – given a new lease of life.

Glenn Martens is a man spinning many plates, one of which happens to be helming Diesel, of course. As we said post-show, Glenn surely has his hands full working on his debut Maison Margiela collection, but Diesel is now his proverbial firstborn (RIP, Y/​Project). Glenn spared no theatrics and hauled guests to a graffiti-ridden space which included the sprawlings of over 7,000 people and an inflatable that made the Guinness Book of World Records. Subtle, then.

There were models with black eye contacts and jumpers that resembled pounds of literal flesh, but upon closer inspection were textured knits fused to the skin. The collection was steeped in shredded denim (obviously) and bumsters. But the most fun was watching Glenn experiment with Chanel’s house codes for the Diesel audience – a curveball for a brand that hardly strays from denim. Naturally, it was more of an awkward, uncomfortable, lewd offering, but Glenn really went for it: contrast stitching, tweed boots, cut-off shorts with layered blazers and even the odd PlayStation controller-shaped bag. The creative director is clearly having fun and gearing up for the next era of his career, but that doesn’t mean Diesel has to meet a stagnant, stale end. Change is necessary and Glenn is lapping it up.

Now, speaking of change, Mrs Prada and Raf Simons made a 180 from last month’s menswear show. Patchwork leather, cowboy boots and fur encompassed much of the men’s line, but for women’s ready-to-wear, all of that went out the window. Bar the construction site set, Raw Glamour, the title of the collection, catered to a different audience, juxtaposing workwear with frumpy silhouettes and delectable faux fur. It made no sense but it also kind of did: front-pleated skirts with paper bag waistlines and a neon green kaftan with a plush fur collar are now ingrained into my brain. There was something inherently confident and sexy about Mrs P and Raf’s muses. We enjoyed a back and forth about the show with Lyst’s Senior Social Media Manager, Connor Downey, in the car on the way to a carb-loaded meal. But this much is clear: Prada always fills seats and ensures chatter is at an all-time high.

Glenn Martens is now the big boss at Maison Marigela, so MM6 is all about him brushing up on his know-how. After all, it’s Margiela’s more casual sister brand. We couldn’t resist asking Glenn about his plans for the house following John Galliano’s exit, but like a true profesh, he remained tight-lipped. Perplexed models in visors stumbled out onto the MM6 catwalk, pausing every so often to stare at attendees unnervingly before going on. Striped shirts trapped in feather-light sheer materials were the highlight – dresses and vests carried the same design.

Maximilian Davis and Donatella Versace have something in common this season: everyone thinks it’ll be their last respective rodeos at Ferragamo and Versace. It’s been quite a hectic past year for creative directors, so nothing is too far-fetched.

At Versace, an abandoned tram station was the location for AW25, and things kicked off with a series of models in flamboyant, baroque dresses that floated along the catwalk. The consistency with which things shifted gears gave us whiplash: one moment you were seeing blink-and-you-miss-it spiked heels, and the next you were watching Romeo Beckham and Alex Consani in metallic garb. An entire section consisted of jackets lined in Versace’s signature baroque print (Colman Domingo did it first at this year’s BAFTAs) and the closing looks featured peplum dresses. It was a head-scratching show – Vanessa Freidman echoed this sentiment on X. The most evident thing here was that Donatella was reminiscing, not to mention she wore a 1992 archive Versace jacket to take her (final?) bow.

Ferragamo was more of a subdued affair – besides the thousands of rose petals scattered on the floor, of course. Mona Tougaard walked the circular runway in a wisp of a sheer dress, then a few models later came Adriana Lima. Models carried two bags (Lotta Volkova’s doing), tassled heels brushed the floor-strwen petals and a feathered scarlet dress was the star of the show. Backstage, it was a full-on love-fest as everyone from Olivia Singer to Maximilian’s sister and Rosie Huntington-Whitely congratulated him. If this was his final curtain call, it was a class act.