What you've missed at Milan Fashion Week

A week is a long time in fashion, but the past seven days have been seismic.

As London Fashion Week wrapped and the industry decamped to Milan, expectations were already at fever pitch. A string of high-profile debuts were on the cards, and the week delivered more than its fair share of drama.

Gucci

La Contessa, from the first collection by Demna for Gucci. Photo: Gucci

The ever-disruptive Demna caused chaos before Milan had even begun, dropping his debut Gucci collection the day before Fashion Week opened and stole Burberry’s thunder. The London show had been intended as the closing highlight of that schedule, but instead all eyes were on Demna.

He announced his arrival via a surprise social media release, followed by a film screening starring Demi Moore in a fictional family drama. The collection then landed straight into select stores, prompting another online frenzy as clients posted themselves trying on the pieces.

Emporio Armani

Emporio Armani's show featured languid, roomy trousers, soft metallic knits and floaty dresses. Photo: Emporio Armani

At Emporio Armani, emotions ran high as the house staged its first show since the passing of Mr Armani himself. Called Ritorni (Returns), the collection evoked the post-holiday moment when we are home again, but still mentally abroad.

The clothes captured that mood perfectly – languid, roomy trousers, soft metallic knits and floaty dresses – but the atmosphere was tinged with poignancy. As one of the last collections Giorgio Armani would have worked on, it left more than a few teary eyes in the audience. His final collection for Giorgio Armani was set to close Milan Fashion Week in its traditional Sunday evening slot.

Prada

Prada showed a collection that was both stripped back and quietly dazzling. Photo: Prada

Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada offered a radical antidote to a content-saturated world, with a collection that was both stripped back and quietly dazzling. Skirts dangled from braces or came spliced from contrasting fabrics. Bubble skirts in olive and tangerine were paired with slouchy tops in tomato red or dove grey. Satin dresses were squashed under leather jackets, deconstructed bras sat over prim pencil skirts, and long, colourful gloves appeared with everything.

It was ladylike and rebellious all at once – in other words, quintessentially Prada.

Dolce & Gabbana

The coming Devil Wears Prada sequel is not even out yet, but Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci channelled their on-screen alter-egos Miranda Priestly and Nigel Kipling from the front row at Dolce & Gabbana for a surprise film shoot.

In a surreal twist, Streep sat opposite real-life inspiration Anna Wintour as the collection unfurled between them. The focus was pyjamas – though in true D&G style, these were anything but ordinary. Silky, floral-embroidered layers were paired with lace slip skirts, corsetry and sharp tailoring. Comfort, but make it glamorous. Miranda would approve.

Bottega Veneta

Oversized silhouettes and playful textures dominated the Bottega Veneta show. AFP

Louise Trotter made her long-awaited debut at Bottega Veneta, offering a fresh female perspective. Oversized silhouettes and playful textures dominated, from a crumpled black leather dress to rounded taffeta trousers that slipped off the shoulder when paired with strappy tops.

Surface detail was everywhere – a puritanical white gown in fluffy fabric, a feathered coat, slubby linen fringed into kaftans, suede cut into jeans and shirts. Even the house’s famed intrecciato leather was reimagined as bomber jacket collars, trousers in bitter chocolate and a sublime dove-grey trench. Laid-back yet irreverent, it was a confident new vision.

Versace

Dario Vitale presented his first collection for Versace. Photo: Versace

At Versace, another first: Dario Vitale became the house’s inaugural non-family creative lead. Far from tentative, he dived headlong into Gianni Versace’s 1980s archive and retooled it for today.

Pedal pushers layered with T-shirts and bomber jackets opened the show, setting the tone for a riot of colour and nostalgia – lilac jackets over blue trousers, yellow jeans clashed with sleeveless tops and denim printed with faces. Even when things shifted into ruched dresses and tailored suits, the mood stayed playful, with little in the way of traditional eveningwear.

It was bold, sassy and fun – and a clear signal that Versace is ready to enjoy itself again.