MILAN FASHION WEEK SPRING/SUMMER 2027: DAY 3
MAX MARA
review by DEBORAH DRENOFCI
all images courtesy of MAX MARA
Max Mara is, and always will be, loyal to its essence of Italian timelessness. The SS27 collection puts forward a confident woman who does not need drama, just elegance and a very good coat. Or perhaps, many good coats. And when it comes to that, nobody does it better than Max Mara.
Simplicity, done right. The palette stayed muted and earthy, moving through beige, sand, charcoal grey, cream, brown and black. Trench coats, mid-length coats and short jackets came one after another, with structured tailoring all around. Leather belts cinched the waist, while skirts were cut to hug the body, elegant and classic. A safari-style jacket with patch pockets met tiny matching shorts, and a leather midi skirt was paired with a soft, oversized shirt.
What stood out was the sheer, sand-coloured organza trench, floating over the body like a second skin. Just as striking was a utility vest layered over a bodysuit, worn with sheer trousers that moved with every step. Max Mara played with lightness without ever losing its structure. No reinvention, no noise. A good coat never goes out of style.
DSQUARED2
review by TIANA DE HASETH
all images courtesy of DSQUARED2
Designers Dean and Dan Caten skipped the runway this year for the Spring 2027 collection, and instead presented it in a showroom and look book shot in Villa Lecco. The ready to wear collection leans into a Meditternean Southern Gothic aestehtic inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of Romeo + Juliet.
The film references are translated throughout the collection, filled with religious symbolism and Hawaiian print yet rebellious Southern Italian look, with the models wearing rosaries, cross iconography placed in the middle of a t-shirt, 80s hairstyle, and Catholic inspired tattoos.
The collection has a contrast of provocation and glamour, styling lace lingerie with elegant maxi skirt or blazers, and ripped jeans with tank tops. Almost like an expression of the rebellon in the film, the collection tells a story of two people running away and finding themselves in a villa in the South of Italy.
MARNI
review by MAREK BARTEK
all images courtesy of MARNI
Thank God for Meryll Rogge. Two collections in at Marni, and she already seems to understand exactly who the Marni crowd is — and yes, you can just tell they're freaks in the sheets.
Rogge herself put it perfectly: “It’s sexy, but absolutely not sexy.” There was no obvious seduction here, yet something about the collection felt incredibly sexy. Perhaps it was the slightly wrong proportions, the halter necks on menswear, exposed bra constructions and awkward layers, or simply the confidence required to wear any of it. Tight three-quarter trousers slipped beneath shorts and skirts, while oversized buckles, displaced buttons and exposed linings made conventionally questionable styling decisions look wickedly good.
The wrongness of it all is precisely where Rogge excels. Sixties shapes met late-’90s and early-2000s references; tailoring collided with sportswear; geometrical florals, stripes and checks happily fought one another; and sequins appeared almost everywhere except where you'd expect them. Even a belt could be considered a pattern rather than simply a means to hold up a pair of trousers.
It feels joyful, retro and strangely futuristic all at once, preserving Marni's inherent weirdness without turning the house into a caricature of itself. More importantly, there is already a recognisable world forming around Rogge's Marni — populated by people who dress a little strangely, probably have cool apartments and, judging by these clothes, considerably more interesting private lives.
ROBERTO CAVALLI
review by MAREK BARTEK
all images courtesy of ROBERTO CAVALLI
I have a theory that Fausto Puglisi might be a god because he just resurrected Roberto Cavalli. The messy hot girls have been starved, waiting for a collection to match their energy. Well, dinner is served, it’s time to finally feast.
Cavalli exploded onto the runway in a riot of colour, animal prints and glorious excess. It felt like fashion remembered how to have fun again. Leopard clashed with florals, zebra stripes collided with washed denim, crystals sparkled across distressed fabrics, and somehow it all worked. In less capable hands, this could have become a styling disaster. Under Puglisi, it became one of Milan's most exciting collections.
Puglisi confidently understands who Roberto Cavalli was, and he embraces the house's unapologetic glamour while making it feel relevant again through separates that actually belong in today's wardrobe. The embellished low-rise jeans, tiny shorts, barely-there tops and fluid printed dresses all nod to Cavalli's archive without feeling dated. Quite the contrary, they feel extremely hot.
What impressed most was the styling. The print clashes, layered textures and unexpected combinations were constantly on the edge of too much but never ever fell over it. The exposed waistlines, scarves, embellished denim and languid silhouettes throughout the collection made every outfit feel instinctive, and even the most maximalist looks carried an ease that made you believe someone could genuinely throw them on before heading out.
This is the kind of wardrobe worn by someone you don't want to mess with when you meet her on a night out. She's chaotic, magnetic and having far more fun than everyone else in the room. In a season filled with careful, considered collections, Puglisi delivers a much needed shakeup, to remind us that sometimes fashion should simply make your heart race. Roberto Cavalli feels alive again — and if this is what resurrection looks like, long may it continue.
EMPORIO ARMANI
review by DEBORAH DRENOFCI
all images courtesy of EMPORIO ARMANI
Traces of Time was the title of the last Emporio Armani collection by Silvana Armani and Leo Dell'Orco before Dario Vitale takes the lead. The collection felt like a quiet ride through time, a fresh breeze, light and chic. The garments travelled through colour from white to black, with shades of grey and blue floating in between. Read alongside the title, the opening in white might symbolise birth and lightness. The deeper hues that followed suggested maturity and growth, until the final black, a nod to mortality or perhaps a rebirth.
Loose tailoring ran through the trousers, trenches and blouses. The opening looks came in crinkled white material, relaxed suits that seemed to have already lived a little. As the palette moved into grey, beautiful washed suits emerged, faded like the pages of an old book. From there, the collection shifted from classic tailoring towards something edgier. Washed denim appeared in long coats, shorts and wide trousers. Then came the blues, where airy jackets met sheer organza trousers, cinched with a suede wrap belt. Softness, held in place by something sturdier. Long chains carried textured pendants that looked like old medallions.
Emporio Armani took us on a journey through time. Now we wonder what Vitale will bring to the house, and in which colours the next chapter will be written.