London Fashion Week may have only just come to a close, but the industry has already moved onto Milan, where the Spring/Summer 2026 shows are now underway. Always the most glitzy and glamorous of the 'big four' fashion cities, the Italian capital is bursting with energy right now; the schedule packed with countless major shows, buzzy presentations and hyper-exclusive evening events—not to mention a few hotly anticipated designer debuts to boot.
Luckily, the Marie Claire fashion team is on the ground, bringing you all the stand-out moments, fashion trends, celebrity sightings and talking points of the season. Make sure you check back daily for your Fashion Week fix.
Milan Fashion Week SS26: Day Five Highlights
The Devil Wears Dolce
And the winner of "most viral moment of Milan Fashion Week" goes to... The cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2 making a surprise appearance on the Dolce & Gabbana front row. Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci and Simone Ashley arrived strictly in character to take their pews alongside the likes of Naomi Campbell and Michele Morrone—and there may have even been a hint of a smile from Miranda Priestly as the SS26 collection made its way down the runway.
The theme? Boudoir seduction meets city life, as men's pyjamas were bedazzled, embroidered and styled with lacy lingerie, sharp tailoring, denim and leather.
Ferragamo's Roaring Twenties
Maximilian Davis served one of the most standout shows of Milan Fashion Week yet again for Spring/Summer 2026, with a collection that brought the 1920s beautifully into the modern day. “This was a moment where women were creating a new femininity—it was a celebration of freedom, a reclaiming of self,” explained Davis in the show notes. “It was a period when people were creating spaces for themselves and rebelling against societal norms—and that spirit translated into people’s wardrobes.” As a result, the collection was filled with the era's signature drop-waist dresses, low backs, speakeasy suiting, colour blocking and lace-panelled slips, alongside exotic animal prints, leather jewellery and fringed embellishments inspired by the "Africana" movement of the jazz age. The fashion world hasn't been able to stop talking about this collection practically ever since.
Milan Fashion Week SS26: Day Four Highlights
Dario Vitale's Versace
Dario Vitale for Versace was one of the most talked-about designer debuts of the season, and it did not disappoint. For SS26, Vitale presented bold colours, vivid patterns, dynamic styling and endless sex appeal—all inspired by the "feeling" and "attitude" at the heart of the historic house. As the show notes put it, Versace is all about "an expression of life lived freely, fully, without apology or restraint. Unbridled by inhibition, indulging tactile pleasures, dirty and divine. Profoundly Italian elegance with an outrageous impulse." Hence: sparkly pants styled unexpectedly with a vintage-inspired brown bomber, purposefully clashing "lurid" graphics, miniature embroidered bras, a whole lot of leather, jazzy jeans, and Eighties references aplenty. Niche? Yes. But fabulously, unabashedly in-your-face and OTT? Also yes.
Tod's Leaves Its Mark
For Spring/Summer 2026, Tod's creative director Matteo Tamburini placed the brand's signature material—leather—and rich history of artisanal craftsmanship centre-stage, resulting in a collection that felt both extremely elevated and easily wearable. There were butter-soft, statement coats aplenty, pared-back draped dresses and fun, striped, handkerchief-inspired two-piece sets, as well as fresh takes on the iconic Gommino destined to become the new everyday staple.
Lightness and Motion at Sportmax
Sportmax took over the historic Frigoriferi Milanesi for its SS26 show, presenting a collection that focused on fabrics "that respond to movement and light" and "speak to women in perpetual motion", according to the show notes. So, silhouettes were fluid and unrestrictive, while still being crafted with utmost architectural precision—as seen in crisp yet slouchy tailoring, slinky dresses, and coats, tops and trousers elegantly cut from organza. Meanwhile, pale yellow emerged as the shade of the season, strategic flashes of skin oozed sensuality, and leather bags, XXL belts, contrast collars and jackets added a hint of urban edge.
Milan Fashion Week SS26: Day Three Highlights
Cavalli's 'Gold Obsession'
Fausto Puglisi's latest collection for Roberto Cavalli was quite literally dripping in gold—and we would expect nothing less from a brand that leans so heavily into mega-watt glamour. The much-loved metallic touched everything from denim and velvet devoré trousers to lamé dresses, swimsuits and sunglasses, interspersed with a heavy dose of Cavalli's signature snake-print to boot. As the show notes so aptly put it: "Choosing gold does not mean choosing just a colour, but embracing an aesthetic vision: precious, bold, and contemporary, like the women who have always worn Cavalli." And no doubt they will go gaga for every gloriously glitzy, gilded piece.
Moschino Elevates 'Arte Povera'
You can always rely on Moschino to bring a bit of tongue-in-cheek fun to Fashion Week, and cut through the serious atmosphere. But while Adrian Appiolaza's SS26 show featured joy-sparking playful touches aplenty—knitted swan nipple covers, avant-garde headwear, giant smiley-faces, trompe l'oeil designs, and stockpot bags, to name but a few—it also felt a little more muted, and universally wearable, than usual. Indeed, the collection was entitled 'Niente' (Italian for 'nothing') and inspired by the Arte Povera movement, hence the "return to simplicity" and central ethos of "reuse, recycle, reimagine". Archival prints were reworked in fresh ways, capes made from fabric scraps, potato sacks transformed into eveningwear, and humble items from everyday life elevated into high-fashion prints and accessories.
Max Mara's Take on Rococo
Rococo might seem an unlikely source of inspiration for Max Mara, a brand known for its sleek, modern and minimal aesthetic, but that's precisely what was on creative director Ian Griffith's moodboard for Spring/Summer 2026. His muse? Madame de Pompadour, the queen of Rococo herself, albeit reimagined "as if she were a contemporary woman", as Griffiths told WWD. So, rather than leaning too heavily into the all-out lavish opulence of the era, it was more about subtle nods in the form of ruched chiffon shoulders, elegant floral prints, layered rara-style skirts, sheer organza coats and dramatic silk petal capes. And alongside these, all the pared-back tailored suits, smart jackets and low-key dresses we've come to expect from the brand, in fresh new iterations.
Milan Fashion Week SS26: Day Two Highlights
Etro's Dark Bohemia
Etro is known for bohemian elegance, something that creative director Marco De Vincenzo has really honed for the past three years—while simultaneously injecting the brand with a buzzy new energy. This season, he called on Neapolitan singer La Niña to provide a "tense, ritualistic" live soundtrack for the SS26 show, that featured clashing prints, beaded tassels, patchwork leathers, embroidered denim, sequins and suede aplenty. The aesthetic had a decidedly dark romantic edge, and clothes flowed freely—designed to be moved in, and sure to shimmy their way into many a glamorous party come summer.
Missoni From Office to Beach
Autumn/Winter 2025 was Alberto Caliri’s first collection for Missoni, and marked a major shift away from what the previous creative director had been doing, with a more muted colour palette and focus on outerwear. But for Spring/Summer 2026, it feels like the designer really found his feet. Few brands are as synonymous with summer as Missoni, but Caliri cleverly moved the brand on—and while the usual beachwear favourites and sequins still featured, the overall aesthetic was decidedly more grown-up. Think: knitted twinsets broken up with canvas jackets and shorts, 80s-inspired jackets, crisp striped shirts and oversize blazers, as though models had just left the office, thrown their towels into an oversized tote, and grabbed their handbags to head straight to the beach club.
Fendi's Futuristic Summer Wardrobe
Fendi's SS26 show was all about colour, from the pixelated set designed by Marc Newson to the looks that came down the catwalk. The palette was striking, varied, at-times surprising (pink and red, hello!), and endlessly joy-sparking—much like the casting itself, that included models Paloma Elsesser, Natasha Poly, Alex Consani, Gabbriette, Adwoa Aboah, Mariacarla Boscono and Karen Elson. Florals also featured throughout, but in ways that felt fabulously fresh: printed across iridescent layers, cut out of leather pieces, forming the lace for skirts and dresses, embroidered onto bags, hanging off them as charms, and even incorporated into furs. As the show notes so aptly described it, this is a vision of "a future summer, seen through a fantastical Fendi lens."
Then, to round off the festivities, Fendi hosted a glitzy post-show party at the new Palazzo Fendi Milano: the brand's newly opened, sprawling four-floor flagship. Guests including Shailene Woodley, Isabela Merced and Ryan Destiny were in attendance, sipping cocktails and exploring the spectacular interiors dotted with pieces of priceless art and sculpture, as well as Fendi's fashion displays.
Milan Fashion Week SS26: Day One Highlights
Gucci's Star-Studded Screening
The hottest ticket of Milan Fashion Week day one was undoubtedly Gucci—despite the fashion house not actually staging a runway show. Instead, creative director Demna unveiled a first taste of his vision for the brand in film form and hosted a star-studded premiere for the occasion, that was attended by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Serena Williams and Lila Moss.
Created by Oscar winner Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, the short is entitled The Tiger, and stars Demi Moore, Alex Consani, Kendall Jenner, Elliot Page and more big names, who make up the members of an alternative-reality Gucci family. Of course, they're all wearing looks from Demna's new, aptly named 'La Famiglia' collection, that was unexpectedly announced on Instagram a day prior, and that, even more surprisingly, will be available to purchase from 25th September.
Discreet Chic at Alberta Ferretti
This was Lorenzo Serafini's sophomore collection as creative director of Alberta Ferretti, and proof that he is the man to lead the brand firmly into the future. For Spring/Summer 2026, he was inspired by the idea of a "progressive hostess": described in the show notes as "a woman who gatekeeps her lifestyle in order to live beyond scrutiny", and who "favours discretion over exposure, and intimacy over exhibition." So, in short, someone who knows that privacy is the ultimate luxury, and eschews the constantly-online, peacock-y mode of today.
The resulting collection? Quietly beautiful, elegantly floaty, neutrals-focussed clothing that chic, wealthy women will actually want to wear. Draped and pleated dresses were reminiscent of classical Greek statuary, and the tailoring similarly soft and flowy, while a pop of fun came in the form of leopard prints, metallics, blood-red and cobalt-blue bags, as well as the odd, subtly sensual flash of skin.
Diesel's Egg Hunt
Diesel kick-started Milan Fashion Week with a static pop-up installation in the heart of the city, that saw models posing inside Perspex eggs. A more intimate way of presenting its new collection compared with a traditional show format, guests could get up-close and personal with each look. Think: lime green and purple denims, spray-paint-style fabrics with a cracked finish, and ditsy florals alongside tailored jackets, pencil skirts and grown-up accessories. The public was invited to take part afterwards, too, embarking on an immersive 'egg hunt' around town to experience the collection for themselves.
