Milan is a city of style. Salone del Mobile in spring, and Milan Fashion Week, twice a year. Season after season, established houses define the schedule, with space for emerging designers. Alberta Ferretti, Jil Sander, Fendi and Tod’s form part of that continuity, each with a clear point of view.
Jil Sander show, SS26, photography Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
Clear Line
Simone Bellotti presents his first collection for Jil Sander. A return to clarity and minimalism defines the silhouette. Clean, almost strict, with a focus on precision. Tailoring leads, for womenswear and menswear. Narrow suits, high-buttoning jackets, and controlled proportions bring the body back into focus.
The silhouette is concisely vertical. Rational tailoring is interrupted by small disruptions, an occasional fold, a raw edge. Openings at the waist and torso reveal just enough to alter the balance. Materials such as double-faced leather and wool create a sense of weight without heaviness. The palette of black, white, royal blue and muted tones carries the collection, allowing construction and detail to take centre stage. Subtle volume in shirts and geometric interruptions add nuance. Enough to hold attention, without breaking the Jil Sander aesthetic.
Fendi, SS26, photography courtesy of Fendi
Return to Colour
Vivid colour, floral prints in embroidery and appliqué, and eye-catching accessories replace quiet luxury at Fendi this season. The house has long played with stealth luxury, which Silvia Venturini Fendi pushes further here, placing embellishment, including sequins, inside the Peekaboo bags. A private gesture.
A colour-saturated set by Marc Newson frames the collection, amplifying that shift. Sequins, bright hues and oversized florals run through both menswear and womenswear, building towards a more expressive silhouette. At times, a reference to a Roaring Twenties line appears, elongated, fluid, slightly lowered. Oversized sports jackets, skirts, track shorts and wide trousers introduce a more athletic vocabulary. In the womenswear, transparent layering reveals the foundation beneath. Structure becomes visible, and is allowed to be seen.
My favourite accessory. The Peekaboo with blue sequins. Party on the inside.
Alberta Ferretti, SS26, courtesy of Alberta Ferretti
Timeless Elegance
Lorenzo Serafini presents the Alberta Ferretti spring/summer collection, with Philosophy now integrated into the main line. This wardrobe is built around comfort and ease.
Tailoring is soft and light, in both fabric and colour. Many pieces have a sense of ease in construction, including caftans, flowy tops, kimono-like dresses and pajama-cut trousers. Cream, blush, pale mint form the main colour scheme. Silver and gold appear in a pencil skirt. A balance between minimalism and a softer, more bohemian line, kept largely free of pattern. Fortuny-like pleating adds movement, while airy capes and handkerchief hems extend the line. Leopard print appears sparingly, in both the clothes and the accessories, for contrast.
Tod’s, SS 26 photography courtesy of Tod’s
Leather Work
The new season’s palette at Tod’s has warm tones, burnt shades and saffron. Under Matteo Tamburini, a few looks carry diagonal stripes, built entirely in leather. The wider bands are laid onto cotton or stitched together into a leather surface, a precise gesture seen in scarf-style tops and asymmetric dresses and skirts. A trench with a bold check print is one of the more striking pieces in the collection, while discreet snake prints appear on wide, sleeveless vest-style mini dresses.
Leather necklaces with keychains, new bags throughout, and flat shoes dominate, from chunkier loafers to softer loafer-slippers. Heavy leather stitching is visible as part of the finish, more expressive.
All images courtesy of the designers. Jil Sander runway photography by Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com.
www.albertaferretti.com www.fendi.com www.jilsander.com www.tods.com
