As Fashion Month comes to a near end, we find ourselves in the heart of fashion and culture in Milan, Italy. The heart and mind hang low this season as Milan mourns the recent passing of Italian powerhouse Giorgio Armani. On top of that, we also remember Donatella Versace’s recent stepdown from Versace earlier this year as we look to the new Creative Director, Dario Vitale, and his potential. Nevertheless, as we honor what has been, we also focus on what is new and coming with the next season’s collections.
This season, some of the most anticipated collections come from, of course, Giorgio Armani, as this is the last collection made by the designer before his death. Moreover, many eyes will also be on Versace as their new collection will debut under the newly appointed Creative Director, Dario Vitale. This year, Gucci will also be showing its latest collection with new Creative Director Demna Gvasalia.
Gucci
This season started off with a bang as Gucci delivered more than just a runway and a new collection. This year, Gucci trades in the formal runway show for a cinematic intervention of a short film, showing as the brand hosts their own film screening event. The brand creates a glamorous moment where fashion and media collide through a film, titled The Tiger, written and directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn. The film stars Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elliot Page, and Alex Consani, each wearing standout pieces from the collection. The event is none other than an audacious debut by Demna Gvasalia that redefines what a fashion show could be.
Eschewing the traditional catwalk, recently appointed Creative Director, Demna Gvasalia, thinks outside the realm of fashion for his debut. His debut Gucci collection becomes a narrative through a lookbook, a short film, and a red-carpet premiere that blurs the lines between fashion, performance, and spectacle. The collection itself was a collision of Gucci’s storied heritage and Demna’s signature deconstructionist aesthetic.
Gucci is bringing back raw finish with a vengeance as the rebrand focuses on raw aesthetics with attitude. The collection itself is titled “La Famiglia,” as it unfolds a tapestry of characters. Each becomes a rich storytelling of the houses’ abilities and legacy. Accordingly, each member of the family has their own archetype through none other than personality and style. To do so, Demna pulled from Gucci’s archives as the designs feature the renowned GG monogram, horsebit loafers, and bamboo bags reworked with irony and edge. We saw croc-embossed minis and sheer tailoring that brought back the killer glamour of retrospect; sharp, sculptural, and unapologetically femme.
“La Famiglia” – Milan Fashion Week
Each archetype carries a dramatic and sophisticated mystique within the Gucci family. The family consists of L’Archetipo, Incazzata, Direttore, La VIP, Pesantone, Ereditiera, Nerd, Milanesa, Narcisista, Gallerista, Introverso. Other members include Scuira, Ragazzo della porta accanto, La Cattiva, and Cocco di Mamma. Then we have La VIC, Figo, Ragazza, Principino, L’Influencer, Androgino, La Bomba, Party boy, and La Bomba n2. Moreover, Rubacuori, Miss Aperitivo, It-Girl, Bastardo, La Drama Queen, Ragazzo, La Principessa, La Snob, and Primadonna. Lastly, there is La Diva, Flora, La Contessa, La Mecenate, and La Star.
The lookbook opens with L’Archetipo as a tribute ot Guccio Gucci himself as a monogrammed travel trunk. L’incazzata enters wearing a scarlet 1960s coat with gold GG closures, slim leather gloves, and horsebit pumps. II Direttore embodies power in a sleek suit with untouchable tailoring at each seam and a simple monogrammed tie. La VIP evokes prestige in a tan monogrammed trench dress with a bow tied on the chest and matching stiletto boots. Pesantone leans in wide-leg trousers that pool dramatically with a deep V dress shirt, exuding a disregarding mood.
Ereditiera powers in a deep crimson sinched waist dress, with wine red leather boots, as she loosely holds a deep fur bolero. Other looks consist of a sheer maxi dress, a deep scarlet suit, pluming printed furs, and a draped 1960s Flora Gucci print. Of course, nothing else screams Gucci than the house’s emotional core of leather as it becomes tactile, provocative, and steeped in legacy. Luxury meets edge as chunky chocolate tooled bomber jackets and cropped blazers with miniature Horsebit hardware sharpen the collection.
Blumarine
David Koma’s Spring 2026 collection for Blumarine explores metamorphosis as he blends day and night into a synonymous moment. Koma turns to the brand’s spirit animal for inspiration this season as the butterfly becomes the embodiment of the Blumarine girl. The collection becomes a seductive evolution of the brand’s butterfly-coded DNA.
The heart of the show played at the tension of opposites as butterflies countered dragonflies. Soft allure contrasts rigid structure, while innocence counters stark gothic romanticism. As day turns into night and night turns into day, Blumarine traces the time as each piece evolves and changes with time. Playing on the nocturnal femme fatale, Koma paints the seductive, entrancing, and ever-changing Blumarine girl.
Encapsulating the night and day, the collection leans primarily into entirely eveningwear and party pieces. As editorial and ready-to-wear mastery combine, the Blumarine girl steps out as a changed woman. Creatures emerge, each one different from the other as each becomes its own visual signature.
“Nocturnal Animals” – Milan Fashion Week
Each look becomes a timestamp that marks each transformation as motifs stretch across delicate tulle. An ingenious design captivates as a smocked minidress ripples with distorted butterfly prints, mimicking leopard spots. Sheer panels drape as twisted bows morph into butterfly silhouettes and raw hems unravel. Dragonfly charms cling to necklines as crystal spiders add gothic punctuation. Nudes mix with blush hues as black storms the collection with flashes of calming green that interrupt the discourse.
Sheer georgette dresses and tulle gowns flow with each step as smocked minidresses sensualize the collection. Lace details flow down the runway as frills add delicacy to every edge and stitch. Prints lay on airy blouses and gowns, contrasting sharp blazer jackets with panels draped across backs. Sensuality blends with precision as nocturnal glamour becomes an armor for the Blumarine woman who appears hooded by dusk.
Versace
Donatella shocked the fashion industry earlier this year after announcing her step-down from her family’s brand after 28 years. Now, new Creative Director, Dario Vitale, takes on big heels as he becomes the first non-family member to hold the position. With a new Creative Director comes a wave of new ideas and a new identity for the brand. Of course, many will relive the legacy of Donatella as the brand moves forward into a new era.
The show takes place at the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a private residence of apartments within the larger property. Here, Vitale welcomes guests into his home, the home of the brand, and the home of the future. Natural light pours into the showroom, softly illuminating the runway and capturing the mastery of the collection. Centuries of masterpieces become a backdrop, illuminating each piece as it reflects the House’s core spirit. Two floors of rooms are filled with history and the life of what was, as it opens doors for what is to come.
This season, Vitale takes us on an exploration of the fundamental essence of the House, while also rearticulating it. Taking a contemporary route, outrageous and uncomplicated elegance becomes a description for the new life of Versace. Desire, sensuality, and curiosity are fostered throughout the collection and the heart of Versace. Through this collection, Vitale makes a casual statement that reaches close to what we recognize.
Spring 2026 – Milan Fashion Week
Vitale’s Versace is a reinvention as classic silhouettes become reinterpreted, exaggerated, and recognizable, but also not. New silhouettes are adorned with the signature Medusa, introducing the new while claiming and tying heritage. Warhol-inspired prints, once made famous in Versace’s Spring 91 collection, were printed onto fabrics. Unrecognizable and unnamed faces lie on the fabric, reminiscent of the Marilyn Monroe print of the 90s.
Versace’s signature baroque peaks through hues of acid yellow, cobalt blue, and lacquered crimson, reimagined with a pop-art twist. T-shirts are carved low at the sides into muscle tee tanks, while loose buttons and sagging jeans as the collection strip away polish in favor of provocation. The show notes emphasized “sex and sensuality, not just an aesthetic, but one’s stature,” with silhouettes that wrapped, gathered, and clung to the body like memory. Jeans are hiked to a new level, tight on the crotch, as the collection screams a new meaning to streetwear.
Simple minidresses are anything but basic as they are sculpted, draped, and styled to provoke. Some cling like a second skin, others hang loose, evoking the motion and intimacy of the collection. Handbags become geometric as chunky belts hang loose at the hips, cinching the waist and framing the designs. Elbow-length gloves in lacquered crimson and black vinyl add a touch of retro fetishism, pairing with casual silhouettes and sculptural vests.
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani’s Spring 2026 collection is one to be held in memories and fashion history for ages. Armani’s Spring 2026 collection, unexpectedly, ended up being the late designer’s last collection he personally worked on. Accordingly, the air hung low on the last day of Fashion Week, as many anticipated, but also mourned the passing of Mr. Armani. While this season was filled with mourning, it is also marked by celebration as the house looks at its 50th year.
In an emotionally charged atmosphere, flickering paper latterns pepper an Italian courtyard, softening the mood. Composer Ludovico Einaudi scores the scene, heightening the emotions with every note. The scene unfolds at the Pinacoteca di Brera, a museum in the heart of the neighborhood where the late Armani lived and thrived.
The collection, titled “Pantelleria, Milan,” notes the opulent city of modernity, passion, love, and Pantelleria. Pantelleria is a Mediterranean island between Europe and Africa, just at the border. The island is a land of life, spirit, exotic land, and wild nature, where everything moves and works together. Accordingly, Armani’s collection becomes a testament to that cycle; the closure of the cycle that allows new ones to open.
“Pantelleria, Milan” – Milan Fashion Week
Pantelleria is a land of contrasts, as light and dark meet, volcanic rocks and dark fields are surrounded by the endless blue sea. Everything is fluid and light as it seduces everything outside of it, captivating with its essence and energy. The collection itself blends contrasts as he creates a harmony between garment and person. Accordingly, the designs become a love letter between Pantelleria and Pinacoteca di Brera, his home. The two places closest to Armani’s life and love, where inspiration and peace flourish.
The courtyard stays still as elongated and sleek silhouettes emerge with flowing lines that skim the body. The show opens with two models in dove-grey unlined jackets and fluid trousers, styled with sheer silk blouses. Evening gowns shimmer subtly with sequins and embroidery that is never overwhelmed. A volcanic green column dresses amazes with a subtle shimmer as the gown rippled like sea glass in motion. A sea-blue organza ensemble appears as a translucent tunic that lies over wide-leg pants with minimal sandals for support.
Closing the show, a long-sleeved blue gown with a faintly embroidered image of Armani’s own face, stops time. A moment becomes suspended as guests fall silent, their gazes fixed on the lantern-lit courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera. The air is thick with reverence, not just for the clothes, but for the man and spirit behind them.
We now leave Milan with the memories of a lifetime, as we cherish the craft and love behind each collection and each house. Our next and final destination of the Fashion Month tour takes us to France as Parisian talent gears up this coming week.
