Milan Ditches Quiet Luxury for Skirts, Shine and Big Hardware

Prada does not do half measures. For SS27, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons built the entire collection, all 63 looks, around a single garment: the skirt. Sheer plisse, sharp pencils, wraps, crystal-embellished columns and pleated A-lines each got their turn, in linen, knit, tulle, nylon and leather-like cotton.

The discipline is the point. By narrowing the silhouette, the design duo could push material and technique to the edge, and the result felt anything but one-note. The pencil and the pleat return as power pieces, cut with the precision Milan does best.

Outside the shows, the street took the memo literally. Midi skirts did the heavy lifting, worn with knee-high socks and sharp pumps, proof that the runway thesis translates directly to real pavements.

Demna's first Gucci outing, staged as 'The Store Show,' was luxury as spectacle. Oversized Horsebit hardware, strong sculpted shoulders, visible logos, cinched belts, big bags, tartan skirts, chain jewelry and glossy boots: nothing whispered.

It is a deliberate break from the quiet years. Where Milan once traded on restraint, Demna is betting that the appetite now is for glamour you can spot across the street. The show lands squarely on the maximalist wave: chunky jewelry, bold shoulders and shine, worn with total conviction.

The commercial logic is hard to argue with. Statement hardware and recognizable icons photograph instantly, travel across social feeds, and give the house's classics a jolt of new energy. Maximalism is the new minimalism in Milan.

At Fendi, Maria Grazia Chiuri moved lingerie into daylight. Visible bras, satin shorts, sheer slips, lace trims and body-conscious layering were styled as outerwear, finished with the house's signature furs worn light as boas.

Prada echoed the mood with bra and bralette elements, and the message across both houses was the same: the boundary between underwear and outwear has dissolved. If it looks like lingerie, wear it outside.

The trick to wearing it now is contrast. A sheer slip under sharp tailoring, a lace trim against a plain knit: the frisson comes from the mix, not the exposure alone. Styled that way, it reads as confidence rather than costume.

Max Mara gave utility a polish for SS27: trenches, safari shirts and cargo forms cut in light mesh and organza, finished with oversized hobo totes. Workwear codes, rendered in fabrics that move like eveningwear.

Onitsuka Tiger pushed the footwear equivalent at its 'ENERGY STATION' show. The Mexico 66 was recast as a mule, joined by wedge biker boots in yellow, metallic pink and silver, kitten heels and fisherman sandals. Practical shoes, impractical shine.

Together they sketch the season's formula: take something functional, then make it gleam. It is utility for people who never intend to get their hands dirty, and it works precisely because of the contradiction.