Key takeaways
- Donatella Versace announced a new fashion and beauty label — a joint venture with American retailer Revolve — her first move since departing Versace in March 2025, with beauty launching first and fashion to follow
- Milan Fashion Week SS27 arrived mid-transition: no Versace show, Armani’s appointment of Dario Vitale as its first external creative director, and Glenn Martens’ final collection for Diesel
- Prada opened the week on day one with a collection built entirely around the skirt, confirming the Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons creative partnership as one of the strongest in Italian fashion
- Milan Fashion Week SS27 is projected to generate €219 million for a city of just over a million inhabitants.
The Milan Fashion Week SS27 season opened on September 22 to an announcement that had nothing and everything to do with the shows. Hours before the first look hit the runway, Donatella Versace — the larger-than-life sister of the late Gianni, and for nearly 28 years the creative force behind the namesake brand before it was sold to Prada Group — revealed her next act: a new fashion and beauty label, built as a joint venture with American retailer Revolve, where she will serve as Chief Creative Officer. The name is still under wraps, but beauty launches first, with fashion to follow in the coming months.
The irony: the first show of the week was none other than Prada — something the house hadn’t done in many, many years. Coincidence or conspiracy?
Milan, with a twist
The disruptions started early on. Versace wasn’t, for the first time in recent memory, on the program. Pieter Mulier, who spent five years restoring Alaïa’s credibility before his appointment at the house in July, is still preparing for his debut. When he eventually shows, it will be the first Versace collection under Prada ownership.
At Armani, the change was equally tangible. Just days before the season opened, the group announced the appointment of Dario Vitale — he steered Versace for exactly one season before the brand changed hands (musical chairs, anyone?) — as creative director of Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani Accessories, making him the first designer outside the Armani family to hold that role. In that context, Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco presented their final co-ed Emporio collection during the week, before handing the creative reins.
Glenn Martens, meanwhile, presented his final collection for Diesel, after his departure was announced just days before fashion week. He will remain within OTB Group as creative director of Maison Margiela.
For some reason, all this brouhaha felt somewhat unsettling. But also invigorating, and fresh. Milan has always prized legacy and stability over drama. This season, however, had a mind of its own. Maybe because it felt more like a rehearsal for the actual shows that will happen eventually in February, when the new guard will have to perform for real.
A first look: Prada, Fendi, Brunello Cucinelli
At the first show of the season, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons made a single garment do all the talking. The skirt, in every length, weight, and configuration, ran the entire Spring/Summer 2027 collection: sequined, slashed, sculpted, fastened with Velcro so the wearer could alter the silhouette themselves, or worn over a dress. The styling was spare and to the point. In a recent interview, Miuccia described skirts as giving “room for contrast,” and that logic ran through every look. There is, by now, a genuine fluency between the two designers. Raf’s aesthetic is clear in the work, yet this was still classic Prada: rigorous with a concept, definitive in its execution.
At Fendi, Maria Grazia Chiuri drew inspiration from the human silhouette, while citing E. E. Cummings — “I like my body when it is with your body” — and making lingerie the beating heart of the entire collection. But, for me, she still has some way to go before fully resonating with the brand’s core customer. The intention was obvious; the delivery still needs some work to land.
By contrast, the Brunello Cucinelli show was a masterclass in the brand’s own codes. The artisanal excellence that defines the house and Italian fashion was, if anything, more pronounced this season, with traditional techniques colliding with unusual materials, such as raffia or cane webbing. Cucinelli described the collection as “harmony in contrast,” and that tension was exactly what made it work.
The shows and moments I singled out
The 90s was quite an inspiration for Italian fashion brands this season. Matteo Tamburini mined the decade’s archives and its iconic women to create a clean-cut collection for Tod’s that nodded to Linda Evangelista, Sade, Uma Thurman, Christy Turlington, even Princess Diana. The collection, however, was anything but nostalgic. It was fresh, intentional, stylish.
Roberto Cavalli under Fausto Puglisi returns to the brand’s roots: bold prints, boho silhouettes, interesting mix ’n’ match. This collection was as much a tribute to Roberto himself as a promise of things to come.
The “utility chic” aesthetic at Max Mara was exactly right for the moment; functional without being boring, polished without trying too hard. I especially loved the total suede looks.
Marni did what Marni does best. Meryll Rogge’s latest collection was typically quirky, simple but with a twist, and focused on a 60s silhouette.
I love Jil Sander. Sleek, sexy minimalism, androgynous lines and a muted color palette make for a collection that seems ideal for the C-suite, but — surprise! — can effortlessly move from day to night. The coats were on another level of tailoring.
At Bottega Veneta, Louise Trotter is slowly but surely finding her footing. After two collections that leaned heavily — some said too heavily — on the house’s signature woven leather, spring saw her loosen up. The season’s statement: fringe, dangling from hip scarves, whorled into bubble skirts, finishing off a straw bag whose fringe nearly swept the floor.
Maximilian Davis looked to Lee Miller and 1940s workwear for Ferragamo. Sleek silhouettes, double belts, military pockets, utility waistcoats under tailored suits, leather against latex, translucent rubber, and PVC. Davis’s most compelling collection yet.
After several years, Dolce & Gabbana finally came to Milan Fashion Week SS27 with a strong proposition. “Stravaganza Siciliana” brought Sicily back into focus: brocades cut into miniskirts, trousseau lace against denim, pearls. Theatrical, specific, and genuinely surprising.
Demna called SS27 his first complete personal vision for Gucci. Gothic tailoring, equestrian references, tartan skirts, a powder-pink goddess gown, and an inclusive casting that mixed professional models with socialites and aristocrats across generations. The ambition was clear. The collection, however, felt like it was still negotiating with itself; different Guccis on the same runway, not quite reconciled.
The bottom line
Milan Fashion Week SS27 is expected to generate over €219 million for a city of just over a million inhabitants — a figure that puts the commercial weight of this week in perspective. The drama, the absences, the announcements, the controversy; this is all spectacle. The business of fashion is anything but. That is why Milan is the most captivating fashion capital of all.
