The skirt is the whole outfit: Milan's SS27 verdict

Maria Grazia Chiuri's second Fendi collection showed inside a mirrored box in Milan, and the bag everyone will be talking about barely fits a phone. The Baguette, the house's most famous shape, has been resized for a card, keys and not much else.

What it lost in capacity it gained in attitude. Runway Baguettes came sequined, fringed and in leopard calf-hair with floral embroidery, and the front row answered in kind, with studded black leather and rusty brown versions carried like trophies.

The styling cue to steal: one maximal bag against simple black. Let the hardware do the talking and keep everything else quiet.

Sixty-four looks, one garment. At the Fondazione Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons put the humble skirt under the microscope: knee and midi wraps, pleated sheer panels, kilt-like wool with raw edges, and transparent pencil skirts scattered with glass rhinestone flowers.

The styling is the story as much as the skirt. Tiny bandeau tops, colorblock shirting and raw-hem sweater vests made it party on the bottom, business on top. Accessories went full maximalist: a violet snakeskin bag, futuristic asymmetric sunglasses, pink bows on satin heels and floral brooches pinned to laser-cut kitten heels.

Copy the proportion, not the price tag. A substantial midi skirt with a small top, and one rich color repeated at hand and foot. Burgundy is the season's cheat code.

If one material explains this fall's bag market, it is suede. Soft, slouchy and broken-in beats structured and shiny, from designer carryalls to the high street. The sellouts all share the same hand-feel.

The proof is in the restocks. Gap's vegan suede Five Pocket Tote sold through and is now backordered into October, and Sezane's suede totes go viral every time an unboxing lands. The casual heirloom framing, bags that look better with wear, has made fabric iterations the fastest-moving tier.

Buy into the anchor shade: chocolate brown. Wear it slouchy, and pair suede with denim and knits rather than more texture.

The quiet-luxury whisper is over. This week's strongest jewelry signal is volume: brooches pinned to Prada's laser-cut heels, chokers and leather cuffs cutting through Fendi's sheer softness, and stacked gold-and-diamond rings worn down to the pinky.

The new rules are refreshingly loose. Cluster brooches on blazers, bags or shoes, not just lapels. Mix your metals freely; gold and silver no longer need to match. And one sculptural piece beats five small ones every time.

Start with a single personal object worn with intent. A brooch is the cheapest way into the trend and the most versatile: it moves from coat to bag to shoe.

The ladylike shoe is having a grown-up moment. On the Chloé runway, Mary Janes were styled with romantic skirts, ruffled dresses and layered looks: sweet, but deliberately not schoolgirl.

The styling rule that makes it work now: skip the knee socks and pleated skirts. Pair them with straight-leg jeans, tailored trousers or a midi skirt, and let the shoe be the jewelry of the outfit.

Details to watch: the square toe is the toe shape of the season, and a gold buckle or flared heel keeps the silhouette from reading flat.