MILAN FASHION WEEK FALL/WINTER 2026: DAY 5

FERRARI
review by SONNY NGO

all images courtesy of FERRARI

Titled Skins I Am In, Ferrari’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection explored fashion as an extension of the self. A muted colour palette consisting predominantly of browns, blacks, and beiges connect the skin with the clothes. Some clothes looked as if they poured in and out of the skin, while others seemed like liquified extensions of the self. It was both a textured and clean collection concentrated on the natural curves and movements of the body. But beyond this, classic Ferrari boldness was translated into cropped bomber jackets, striking textured coats, and statement accessories including visors, bracelets, and earrings. Driving home this audaciousness, the closing looks featured nude-like dresses with dazzling sparkles.

Enveloped in the hues of the Alcione Theater, the models circled a pool of water, reflecting the idea that, much like water, the skin and the self are fluid and ever changing. As the lights dimmed and rain started to fall from above, the boundary between body and garment began to blur further. Heightened by the tranquil music, it was a display of this season’s core vision: identity is in constant dialogue with your clothes, your surroundings, your skin, and ultimately your self.

FERRAGAMO
review by SONNY NGO

all images courtesy of FERRAGAMO

Although I hate the word ‘chic’ and its overuse in fashion discourse, this season’s Ferragamo collection was indeed chic. Taking inspiration from the history of speakeasies, often places of liberation and freedom where people of all backgrounds and identities could convene, the collection sees a plethora of characters and design elements come together in new deconstructed ways. From the nautical clique of navy-inspired trousers and its galore of buttons to the shimmering and pristine gowns of the upper elites, Maximilian Davis unites these archetypes under one assured vision. Davis did choose to incorporate colours, but kept them restrained and muted, reflecting how reimagining parts of the past can alter our perception of the way it was. 

Shown at the Triennale di Milano where one of the galleries was transformed into a moody catwalk, elegance was just as likely to be found in the clothes as in the setting. The scenography of the space captures this best: a curved, unexpected, yet focused path forward. As if a stream of people, from all walks of life, assembled together for a late-night drink, the collection was intimate, sensual, and sexy. Almost as if you opened the door to a clandestine meeting in one of the historical speakeasies.

DOCLE & GABBANA
review by FRANCESCO PIZZUTI

all images courtesy of DOCLE & GABBANA

Dolce & Gabbana is proudly sticking to its well-established identity and has no intention of ‘losing itself’. The Fall/Winter 26 runway in Milan was a blend — and bland — of brand DNA sharpened a bit by contemporary edge, centering on a mostly black, achromatic palette punctuated by some bold accents like red shoes and green bags. The collection, titled “Identity”, was all about reaffirming the glorious codes of the house with its signature Italian glamour, Sicilian aesthetics, tailored silhouettes, and sheer lace.

A major highlight from the show was Madonna’s front-row appearance, arriving to the sound of her own music and seated beside fashion luminary Anna Wintour, underscoring her long-standing muse relationship with the brand.

Garments stayed true to Dolce & Gabbana’s codes, like with the luxurious black lace, reiterated throughout pretty much the entire show. There were contemporary twists — or attempts — with elements like ripped denim and satin bra tops, and a more diverse cast of models. But it begged the question, is identity here a cage or a foundation?

Easily the most impressive element of the collection was the hourglass jackets and coats, a staple of the brand, now with the back cut to look like the front, with the same buttons and lapels, a true sartorial performance.

ACT NO. 1
review by ANOUK WOUDT

images courtesy of ACT NO.1

Following the departure of cofounder Galib Gassanoff in 2024, Act No. 1 is in for a total reinvention with this newest collection. Spearheaded by Luca Lin, the brand is now focusing on bringing in new fabrics, techniques, and silhouettes to create something uniquely attractive. As he finds himself in the 2026 LVMH Prize semi-finals, it seems to have worked out exactly as planned.

His latest fall collection is a walking proof of his excellence. Lin builds off classic wardrobe staples and reimagines them in more exaggerated forms. Fabrics wrap around bundles of excess cloth, creating billowing silhouettes that aim to overwhelm. His color palette stays discrete through an elevated mix of muted burgundies, blues, oranges and browns, amongst the standard greys and blacks. A collection standout was the intarsia knits that were twisted around waists and necks with leather belts.

As a genderless collection, the looks carried an air of androgyny with loose silhouettes, though Lin aimed for menswear-inspired pieces to counteract the brand’s previous femininity through tulle experimentation. Inspired by his Chinese heritage, he collaborated with artisans from China who used an ancient hand-weaving technique to create the strikingly light cotton blazers that appear almost like linen. The collection ends with two papier-mâché looks in a nod to Lin’s focus on structurally challenging forms and gender non-conformity.

AVAVAV
review by AYA SOFIA OPPENBERG

all images courtesy of AVAVAV

In an industry built on the female body but governed by the male ego, the "muse" is often more of a hostage than a heroine. For FW26, Beate Skonare Karlsson staged a psychological gauntlet titled Female Gaze, effectively turning these power dynamics inside out. Guests arrived expecting a standard presentation, only to be summoned one by one to walk a runway of silent, menacing models. As a voiceover of male designers waxing poetic about their muses filled the air, the audience became the exhibit: subjected to the shivering scrutiny usually reserved for the other side of the catwalk.

With clever, hybrid defiance, Karlsson’s collection was made of pinstripe trousers merged into pencil skirts, while basketball shorts morphed into bon-ton A-line silhouettes. With tissue-stuffed bras and exposed garters, the audience felt an implied wink, intended towards the clichés of femininity. While AVAVAV has never been a stranger to something a little weird and a little fun, Karlsson kept her commentary critical this year, using the discomfort of the room to highlight how rare it still feels to see a collection designed for a woman’s own perspective rather than a man’s fantasy.

MSGM
review by ANOUK WOUDT

all images courtesy of MSGM

MSGM’s newest collection doesn’t just use art as a reference, but as a moving space. Drawing inspiration from wandering moments in Milan’s many galleries, this collection is grounded in the idea of free roaming. 

Boundaries are no hindrance, allowing for silhouettes to inhabit a range of juxtaposing expressions. Silhouettes are born from experimentation, with sportswear archetypes at the forefront. The color palette satisfies your senses with vibrant bursts of lime green, sun orange, raspberry, and dark chocolate that capture your attention immediately. Clashing against neutrality, the pieces’ innate liveliness is only accentuated.

Its textural identity holds a narrative using a unique tapestry of spotted velvet, packed wool,  bright nylon, and pressed tweeds, amongst other materials. Burgeoning tulle appears alongside crinkled metallics, offering something eye-catchingly fresh. Using 3D-printing techniques, MSGM plays with dimensions, creating an unusual allure. Prints are also favored, with florals and animals alike melting into a beautifully rich landscape. A resurgence of cats also catches your eye throughout the looks, giving the collection a kitschy playfulness.

SIMON CRACKER
review by AYA SOFIA OPPENBERG

For Simon Cracker’s FW26 collection, titled SLOW, we were offered a rare moment of stillness. In a fragmented industry consumed by the scroll, the collection felt deliberate and political, with the show serving as Chapter 1 of a story that demanded time over immediate "wow" effects. Challenging the classic men’s wardrobe through deconstruction, the collection remained true to the brand’s genderless identity, seen in printed ears and dangling threads.

How often don’t months of human research and trial get lost in a ten-minute runway? To ignore the process would be to miss the point entirely: a reminder that value isn't found in the speed of the transition, but in the continuity of the dialogue. At the Sozzani Foundation, the show was a curated case study on garment longevity, asserting that the true merit of a collection lies in its research, as well as the physical, human attention it commands.

BOTTEGA VENETA
review by MAREK BARTEK

Thank god for female creative directors! Louise Trotter’s second outing for Bottega Veneta took place inside the Palazzo San Fedele, the house’s headquarters between La Scala and the Duomo. After staging her debut on the city’s periphery, this season she stepped squarely into Milan’s historic core — a setting that mirrored her subject. Having lived here for a year, the British designer set out to decode the city as she experiences it: formidable at first glance, yet intimate once you look closer. “I started with this idea of Brutalism and sensuality,” she explained backstage, “because for me it really sums up the feeling that I have: Milan is this sort of very Brutalist city, with a sensuality that’s a little hidden.”

That duality structured the show, beginning with tailoring of opening looks. Jackets featured softened, rounded shoulders, a subtle evolution from her sharper debut. The line curved around the body rather than cutting across it. Trousers fell wide and generous; wrap skirts were anchored by substantial leather belts, an idea she borrowed from bag construction. It was a reminder that at Bottega, accessories thinking often informs clothing architecture. The men’s looks echoed the same gentle curvature, though layered polos and shrunken ribbed knits introduced a different type of lived-in ease.

If silhouette provided the framework, material supplied the emotion. The collection gradually shifted from a muted palette — charcoal, oxblood, deep forest — into saturated hues and an explosive, tactile experimentation. A classic peacoat appeared in matte crocodile. Elsewhere, velvet was densely carved to resemble astrakhan; intrecciato weaves erupted into fringe or created an intricate illusion of checked trench coat. Trotter deliberately blurred categories, emulating furs and skins through unexpected treatments. “It’s a house of leather,” she noted, yet the approach avoided nostalgia. Instead, it proposed leather as language — something to be manipulated, disguised, reimagined.

Texture invited closer inspection. Silk threads rippled like shearling; actual shearling was brushed until it mimicked fox. Technical materials reappeared too, including the shaggy fiberglass introduced in her debut — this time in a startling pink gown that skimmed the ankles. Despite the visual weight of some pieces, Trotter insisted on their physical lightness. Volume enveloped the body without trapping it.

Nearly every look was topped with a hat: pragmatic knit beanies or fringed caps that lent a slightly theatrical note. Tunic-length coats and dresses worn bare-legged reinforced the idea of women who dress for their own liking. Trotter spoke admiringly of Milanese style — “people truly still dress up here” — and that observation translated into clothes without feeling performative.

The most compelling moments arrived when complexity gave way to simplicity. An asymmetrical black-and-white fringed skirt spiralled down the legs, paired simply with a knit tank. It distilled the season’s thesis: structure and softness, restraint and freedom. Brutalism, in Trotter’s hands, didn’t feel severe for its own sake. It was a disciplined starting point that allowed sensuality to emerge.