Milan Fashion Week wrapped up on Saturday after several days of shows. The message from designers this season? Chic style doesn’t have to be boring.
Continue reading our article for stylish yet exciting looks that you will want to attract attention in the Spring/Summer 2025 season…
1. Shirt dress – Fendi
For an outfit that requires little to no thought, is super easy to wear, and looks smart enough for work, a shirt dress (as seen at Fendi) is your secret weapon. Long sleeves, a peaked collar, and a flattering length that sits just below the knee make for the ultimate wardrobe staple. It’s also come in pale aquamarine, but the gray version is more practical and effortlessly chic. Tassel bag and embroidered socks are optional. SS
2. Keep it luxurious but colorful – Brioni
For the last few years, luxury fashion has been associated with beige and more beige. Creative director at Brioni Norbert Stumpfl takes a more creative approach. In Brioni country, no one wants a fuchsia trench coat. But when it comes to a perfectly tailored blazer, why not embroider it in tomato red or powder blue silk and wear it with cream?
Stumpfl has been on the job since 2018 and has quietly built Brioni—especially its womenswear—into one of its most talked-about off-schedule collections. No flashy big shows for this house. Instead, a chance to get up close and personal with those fluid trousers, flawless shirts, and soft bucket bags. “It’s all about the drape and the fabrics,” Stumpfl says as a model walks toward us in a mismatched trouser suit that looks like the easiest thing to wear because so much thought has gone into its construction. “The idea is to make it look like nothing at the same time,” she says. Los Angeles
3. Irregular hem – Bottega Veneta
At Bottega Veneta, which many consider to be the best of the Milan season, creative director Matthieu Blazy was in a playful mood. Inspired by a child wearing their parents’ clothes, he showed oversized jackets, coats and voluminous knits. An uneven hem makes a big statement (literally) and this pretty orange version has the potential to dazzle. But when paired with a comfy sweater and flats, it offers that elusive combination of comfort and cool. SS
4. Longer striped shirt – Brunello Cucinelli
There are three notable developments here. 1. A new twist on trousers, sometimes gathered and pleated at the waist but always elegantly loose. 2. A longer shirt, designed to be seen under blazers or cropped jackets. (It remains to be seen how this will work for shorter women, but designers everywhere are playing with these proportions — the real-life implications will depend on how much they shrink things at retail.) 3. The maxi skirt — no longer a flowing, slanted piece to be worn only for leisure, but a tailored piece with real presence.
Add some intricate embroidery and sparkly beads, and Cuccinelli is now appealing not just to the billionaire tech crowd, but to the red carpet crowd as well. Los Angeles
5. How Now, Brown Wow – Max Mara
Brown is already making a strong Autumn collection – just look at the high street. But the way Max Mara has incorporated it into this collection might make you want to consider wearing it in spring and summer too. All you need is quality fabrics, clean lines and a bit of white. More specifically: tight maxi skirts, matching short or longer jackets and flat sandals (most worn with crisp cotton shirts and gold jewellery) make for a delightfully chic yet relaxed summer work or dinner outfit. Los Angeles
6. 50s coat – Prada
Miuccia Prada and her co-designer Raf Simons were in no-compromise mode with this collection that spit in the eye of beauty. We’re talking numbing proportions, baggy trousers tucked into white cowboy boots and a thigh-length pea-green jacket; strange, forehead-wiping sunglasses and futuristic metallic skirts with circles drawn on them.
The colour combinations are also striking: medical pink, orange and purple. But if you’re interested in the tricks of modern marketing, here’s a case study: how to pull off a confusing ‘art crowd’ display, yet still get commercial pieces into the store. And there were plenty: this animal-print ’50s-style coat, wearable knits and, of course, bags galore – including a compact, patent bucket style. Los Angeles
7. Scarf top – Missoni
At Missoni, the message seemed to be ‘Relax and have fun’, where chiffons and jerseys in basic colours were artfully layered with modernist and Mondrian influences. The best iteration was in the origami-like scarf tops – wear these with relaxed wide-leg trousers on holiday evenings next summer. CL
8. Armani without a price tag – Emporio Armani
The classic Armani silhouette is unmistakable. The Italian master of relaxed elegance has made chic androgyny his trademark for nearly half a century. But those long-lined, unstructured jackets and cropped trousers can come with a less-than-comfortable price tag. The answer is to turn to the brand’s little brother, Emporio Armani. This sleek belted shirt in a soft grey blue with an off-the-shoulder sleeve and matching cropped trousers is unmistakably Armani, but without the wallet-busting side effects. SS
9. Blue Belle – Tod’s
The Tod’s look is all about chic, easy-going everyday wear. In a season dominated by chocolate to cream, caramel to grey tones – especially on the Tod’s runway – the house still delivered some cheery pops of colour. While lemon yellow might be a challenging shade for a raincoat, there’s no denying the lovely impact of a sky blue top. The cut of this sky blue piece is minimal and forgiving, and the proportions of the navy trousers are as generous as the proportions of the maroon bag. And that sky blue elevates any outfit – or mood. SS
10. Flapper dress – Dolce & Gabbana
Designers have been using the 1990s and 1920s for inspiration this Milan fashion week – sometimes combining references. At Dolce & Gabbana, some of history’s most famous fun blondes inspired the collection – from Marlene Dietrich to Madonna. Midi dresses with tassels and beads are just begging to be taken to a party next summer and adorned with a champagne glass. CL
11. City shorts – Loro Piana
Designers are throwing shorts onto the runways in the hope that one day the trend will stick. Usually, it’s a lost cause. But in Milan, for the first time, fashion editors on the front row dared to try the look. So how do we make them work in real life? We’ll leave hot pants to the defense of others, but Loro Piana has created a pair of urban-friendly Bermudas that make a perfect case for trousers as workwear. And all with Loro Piana’s superior fabrication and expert fit. SS
12. Casual Splendor – Gucci
Separate pieces are back at Gucci, with tracksuits in chocolate or black leather. Trench coats and parkas cover the floor, and, as elsewhere, there are silver-mirrored dresses and separates for the Gatsby-style parties that someone, somewhere, still throws. Creative director Sabato De Sarno calls it “casual glamour.”
But the first few and final looks pretty much sum up what we’re predicting for next season: casual zip-front jackets, slacks or shorts, and even more shirts and wide-leg jeans (even though most people aren’t looking to Gucci for everyday wear).
This is a house still known for its bags (note the Debbie Harry-inspired tassel bag and Blondie in the front row). And, of course, nostalgics (and increasingly, Gen Xers) will also appreciate the flowing column dresses from the Tom Ford era. Los Angeles
13. High/low dressing – Versace
For example, are you aiming for maximum impact on your lower half with a sparkly gold pencil skirt? Then, balance it out with a classic brown shirt on top. These are the new rules, according to Donatella Versace, who makes a convincing case for wearing sparkly things at all times of the day. CL
14. Ballet shoes – Ferragamo
Fashion’s obsession with ballet continues next season – we saw tutus and wraps with leotards on the catwalks in London and now in Milan. At Ferragamo, designer Maximilian Davis paid special attention to the rehearsal wardrobe – knitted wrap cardigans and jersey tights in a mix of blush pink, lilac and burgundy. There are two things everyone can bring to their everyday wardrobe: wrap cardigans and, most simply, ballet flats. Ferragamo’s come with particularly impressive silk ribbon ties. CL