Milan Fashion Week SS26 was a well-oiled, playful machine

Milan Fashion Week felt a little like attending a party with a blindfold on. At every turn, excitement was met with unpredictability. Case in point: at Dolce & Gabbana (where the show invite was an actual sleep mask) the lights went down, chatter turned to murmurs, then in strolled Meryl Streep, who ​“gatecrashed” the show dressed as Miranda Priestly, her Devil Wears Prada character (rumour has it, the clip will feature in the film’s upcoming sequel). Cheers exploded and people fumbled with their phones, desperately trying to capture the moment.

At Diesel, meanwhile, models were encased in transparent eggs. Yes, eggs. Creative director Glenn Martens, who is currently juggling two houses – the other being Maison Margiela – still had time for a laugh. Eschewing the runway this season, he took to the streets instead, where 55 models in 34 ​“eggs” were scattered about Milan in a triumphant reimagining of the almighty egg hunt. The best part? If you were one of the first five people to find them all, you won a full look from the SS26 line. Fun!

At the Ferrari show, supers Anok Yai, Iman Hammam and Amelia Gray hit the fast lane, wearing searing red dresses and bejewelled get-ups against a stark-white backdrop. Ending proceedings with a bang, a garage shutter lifted to reveal a line-up of models wearing white slouchy jumpers, suiting and belted trenches. At Moschino, creative director Adrian Appiolaza amped up everyday objects such as trench coats loaded with scraps of material or floral applique dresses and paired them with playful accessories – think bags that replicated cooking pots, flower bouquets and ​“Moschino” branded bags overspilling with garments.

All of the above, however playful, doesn’t even factor whatever shenanigans went down at the afters (we’re keeping schtum). Suffice to say, it was a riot. See for yourselves…

Demna loves to be disruptive – with runway shows, campaign drops, even his name. With his Gucci debut brewing, he kicked off Milan Fashion Week with yet another unpredictable move, presenting his first, hotly-anticipated Gucci collection as a film starring a boatload of stars. Before it screened, Gucci unveiled ​“La Famiglia” – a lookbook featuring over 30 people that capture the house’s spirit, one of which is La Bomba, portrayed by Alex Consani. Inside, Alex dons a tiger-striped (faux?) fur coat, legs bare with gold-heeled pumps and a Gucci bag in her clutches. Demi Moore, Nettspend, Serena Williams, David Jonsson and more turned up to see the accompanying film, The Tiger, directed by Spike Jonze and Babygirl​’s Halina Rejin. Without giving too much away, Demi Moore plays ​“Barbara Gucci” a struggling businesswoman who stages a birthday party that goes all kinds of wrong (except her Gucci ensemble, which strikes the right note). Kendall Jenner, Keke Palmer and Edward Norton popped up on-screen, too.

While there was no popcorn at the next debut, it certainly got fashion heads’ tongues wagging. Dario Vitale’s debut Versace collection was a very under wraps affair, and a presentation format was scrapped in favour of an ​’80s-coded runway show. There were muscle vests that clung to models’ torsos, high-waisted jeans, clashing colours, prints, bejewelled bras and cycling shorts (Addison Rae nabbed a bra and knickers fresh off the runway). It was a lot to process – overstimulating at worst, and a kaleidoscopic treat at best. While many grumbled that ​“this [wasn’t] Donatella’s Versace” in various IG comments, it begs the question: well, what’s wrong with that? Jo Ellison, FT Weekend and HTSI editor, put it most eloquently: hours after the show, she was ​“still thinking about the Versace debut by Dario Vitale which has been pilloried online”. Rather than disjointed, it in fact ​“makes perfect sense when I look at Eighties archive and ads […] I think it was fabulous”.

At Prada, Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada staged their show inside an audacious orange space with glossy floors. Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke and Emma Chamberlain were all in attendance; Art of Noise’s dreamy and haunted digi-dub tune Moments In Love introduced the collection. First look? A model in a boilersuit. From there on out, garments had the feel of a high luxury pick’n’mix: leather opera gloves, sheer lace skirts that wrap-around any which way, wispy bras, frills, leather jackets, glasses with crystal embellishments and hot pants. In truth, it was a little overstimulating, but at the re-see days later, seeing everything up close – crystal glasses glued to mannequins, bags with eyelets, rhinestone heels, crinkled billowy skirts – the collection made more sense, playing into the wonderfully weird realm of Miuccia and Raf’s world-building.

Polished garments weren’t the focus at MM6, either. Much like its sister brand Maison Margiela, MM6 thrives on creating pieces that aren’t overly sentimental, see: ballet shoes with square tips and boots with strong, off-beat silhouettes. Like ships in the night, models seemed like strangers to one another in streamlined, neat shapes. A closer look revealed trompe l’oeil cutaway effects and technical garment-work – a favourite look was the gold-drenched penultimate ensemble, featuring nude stockings and a lemon hued skirt. A stick of butter in human form? Officially on my SS26 mood board.

KNWLS have relocated to Milan – a first for designers Charlotte Knowles and Alex Arsenault – and they’ve brought Nike with them. Fashion commentator Lyas turned up to support in a Nike fleece tech hoodie (it earned him a Central Cee follow on TikTok), and backstage, VTSS wore a KNWLS checked top, pastel-blue legging/​skirt combo and a pair of unreleased KNWLS x Nike trainers. FACE friend and photographer Cobrasnake was snapping BTS pics away at corsets with contrast lining and leather coats with nipped in waists. Lourdes Leon took her post on the front row as the first model came down the runway in an all-black and corset, layered over a top that looked like wings flapping in the night. Post-show, a Club Stamina afterparty ensured Charlotte and Alex received a proper Milan welcome, with Arca and Ice Spice attending. It’s a bittersweet loss for us Londoners, but it seems KNWLS have their feet – and checked flares – firmly planted in Italy for now.

Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta debut was the most anticipated show of MFW. Small indications of Louise’s Bottega era were woven into the ​“Craft is our language” ad, and on Euphoria star and ambassador, Jacob Elordi, who has worn Louise’s Bottega at Venice Film Festival. We were teased, and it was worth the wait. The Sunderland-born designer led with simplicity, sending out a monochrome look accessorised with an overcoat and leather knots, before things really started to heat up: there was an off-the shoulder leather dress, suede jeans, jumpers with padded shoulders. Jaws dropped – mine included – when ​“sweaters” in orange, red and blue, made of recycled fibreglass, looked like fur, free-flowing and ready to spring to life on the catwalk. Nina Simone’s Wild is the Wind soundtracked, as voluminous leather trenches, ankle strap heels, and exaggerated silhouettes closed a show that swung the pendulum between familiarity and reinvention. A worthy appetiser for Paris.