From stellar sophomore shows to chapter-closing freak-fests, Man About Town rounded up the highlights from the Italian leg of the Spring/Summer 2027 season.
In Milan, there are the perils of Lime bike-debilitating cobbled streets, very good negroni sbagliatos, and if you’re in town for fashion week, lots and lots of very nice clothes.
And while the September shows are womenswear-heavy, there is a healthy smattering of solid menswear to be consumed via the swathe co-ed collections unveiled. From Louise Trotter’s lighter, more streamlined third collection at Bottega Veneta, to Demna unpacking his vision of Gucci via a store-centric runway space, Milan wasn’t short of noteworthy moments.
As the travelling fashion set touches down in Paris for the final, mammoth leg of the Spring/Summer 2027 season, scroll on for a proper look at the best menswear from Milan Fashion Week.
Bottega Veneta
Jacob Elordi, Owen Cooper, Tyler, the Creator, and Goldie all pulled up to Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2027 show last night, where Louise Trotter presented her third collection for the House.
On the menswear front, trench coats first came loose and single-breasted followed by close-fitting, belted double-breasted styles. A breezy yellow shirt tucked into high-waisted black trousers helped eschew a spring-into-summer ease into proceedings, where layers are shedded and structure is softened. It was aided by lighter shades of brown and olive, which were applied to ultra-cropped leather jackets, paired with military green bucket hats and slacks, which delivered a very holidaying leading man in the South of France vibe. Peaking from beneath exposed ankles were ballet-style leather loafers that aligning with, and stoking the flames of the prevailing appetite for streamlined footwear that’s holding strong at the moment.
Of course, a Bottega Veneta collection wouldn’t be complete without its leatherwork and accessories. There were plenty of its Intrecciato weave seen applied to tote bags, folios, and notepads, carried under models’ arm, highlighting the brand’s technical expertise.
It was a leaner offering than Trotter’s previous collections, sure. But it was still brimming with the considered pragmatism that has remained constant in her work at the Italian House since being installed last year. These were clothes that masterfully nailed that easy-to-wear and luxurious blend that makes for a potent and desirable menswear cocktail – one that we’ll no doubt see being road tested by Elordi, Cooper, and brand’s army of famous friends come awards season and beyond.
Gucci
Some hours before the proceedings, Demna decided to give us a very introspective statement ahead of his Gucci Spring/Summer 2027 outing titled The Store Show. He said, “I present my complete personal vision for the brand”. So, what might that be?
Spanning 83 looks and a run time of just under 20 minutes, menswear set the tone as the Georgian designer sent in his fully realised archetypes down the store runway. Up first, suits that felt intentionally outgrown: creased shoulders and cropped, shrunken trousers. Awkward in figure but, with the model’s braggadocious strut, it felt tailor-made. Then, shoulders kept widening with each subsequent look. Those more exaggerated pads on blazers were dressed down, introducing Demna’s version of the trending prep style which sees double-collared rugby shirts layered under denim jackets and tucked into perfectly-straight-cut white jeans to boast a not-so-humble GG buckle.
A short interlude of leather jacket ensembles brought us to his more Tom Ford-esque looks that were sleazier, sexier and featured pointed shoulders – his latest obsession in scapula silhouettes, and a big hit in his womenswear section. What followed was probably the standout accessory: the triple Horsebit belt, tilted below the hip and over the crotch as if it were a chastity belt, interplaying between sexual prowess and restraint.
Loosely marking the halfway point of the show, the looks that came after felt Demna at its core. Those rugby shirts from earlier, sized up, paired with a backwards cap, pooling-ly wide jeans and a button-up half-worn to show off the monogram lining. Harrington jackets were cut wide, puffy and boxy, just the way he’s liked his bomber jackets since his Vetements days. And tailoring was supersized with possibly the biggest horsebit ever, also running across the crotch on suit trousers with the tassels on the hem.
As a Dracula-fueled, fur-tailoring look closed out the menswear portion of the afternoon, we might have our answer: Demna and Gucci are one and the same. As he said earlier today, “[Gucci] absorbs the present and evolves, without losing any of its recognisable codes,” and neither should Demna.
Jil Sander
Jil Sander is lauded for its pure, clean designs – proper clothes that people wear when they’ve got their life together. Ones that don’t scream for your attention, but instead wrap you up in an assured air of confidence. They’re uniform in their lack of outwardly visible embellishment.
But today, that idea was questioned in the brand’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, the third offering of creative director Simone Belotti for the house. A short time after the show had finished, a social media post postulated the idea of uniform, writing “the uniform becomes vulnerable. And vulnerability, in turn, becomes the uniform”. It makes sense then, that as the collection unfolded, the heavy tucked-in shirts and immaculately-fitted straight trousers, three-button suits, trenches, and parkas were unravelled, bunched at the hip, collars flying over jackets, and coats worn off the shoulder, exposing vest tops beneath.
The clothes that we wouldn’t reveal to everybody in the world are on show, clashing with the more uniform elements of dress, such as coats, jackets, and shirting. Worn correctly, these garments should be powerful, expose little, and assert authority to the world, cloaking any vulnerability beneath. Today, that was turned inside out and exposed. It was unsettled, a little bit… off, and kind of perfect at the same time.
That’s all part of the point. Since being appointed to Jil Sander last year, Bellotti has treated the brand’s DNA as an essence and a pursuit. We saw in its AW26 campaign shot at a disused airfield, bringing furniture normally seen inside of the home, outside. Because clothing is inherently moulded by the person that wears it. Today, the vulnerabilities it usually conceals, are shaped and broken outside of uniform to become something beautiful in themselves.
Can the pursuit of the essential go hardcore? At Jil Sander, yes. Yes it can.
Diesel
The end of an era. Glenn Martens has wrapped his stint as Creative Director at Diesel today, presenting his final show during Milan Fashion Week. But if you thought Martens’ farewell would be tainted with anything but celebration, you clearly don’t know Diesel: at this label, the party is paramount.
“The party always comes first at Diesel,” he says in his show notes. “It’s about inclusivity, self-expression, pleasure and the democracy of experience. The collection is the essence of Diesel: disruptive, sexy, fluid, fun. We are all in this together: let’s take a ride one more time.”
On the runway, this took form as a lineup he describes as “daywear so desirable you want it all at once”. Waxed jackets walked side by side with fluid suits, polos were peaking over zip-up cardigans, and the designer’s signature distressed knitwear popped through. In true Diesel style, there was a generous selection of denim — including a super-cheeky, millimetric short that would be the perfect attire for the party Martens is putting on.
But at this hot, sexy final farewell, the steam didn’t stop at the clothes. As models walked the runway, performers took over the sidelines for a dance of fun and pleasure. Snogging and PDA never looked so good, Martens reminds us. And, in a full-circle moment, for his final walk, the collection’s last look was worn by Ella Snyder, who featured in Martens’ debut presentation for the brand, and was a returning presence on his runways. This tenure might be over, but it certainly won’t be forgotten in a hurry.
Fendi
Maria Grazia Chiuri is settling into her new Fendi gig nicely. The recently-installed Creative Director, who was appointed last year, presented her third collection in Milan. Inspired by Italian singer and dancer Raffaella Carrà, this most recent outing was party ready, seen through slinky undone shirts, paired with face-covering sunglasses and bouncing military-style overcoats, sparkling disco-primed cardigans, and sheer tops, and tasslet trousers. It was sexy, hedonistic, and balanced clothes you could wear daily, with nighttime bangers that don’t leave the dancefloor until the DJ stops playing.
Marni
Fashion goodness isn’t bound by age, and Meryll Rogge knows this. For her second Marni collection, the designer delivered an offering that spanned workwear to tailoring, diving into the brand’s vibrant, funky codes, and reinvigorating them for a new era. Blazers cropped at the waist, tights peaked from shorts, and leather blazers were cropped at the waist. Loose-fitting slacks were paired with leopard-print leather belts, knit vests mirrored halter-neck tops, and knee-high boots could be seen across the men’s looks. These were clothes that could easily slot into the wardrobes young, club-y kids in Dalston, and just as easily find their footing into the distinguished older Marni wearer – who was tearing it up in clothes similar to those described above in their youth.
Ferragamo
For his Spring/Summer 2027 Ferragamo collection, Creative Director Maximilian Davis looked to the 1940s. On the menswear front, this was a time when utilitarian dressing entered into the mainstream, a result of wartime uniforms. Davis takes these classic menswear tropes – both practical pieces and sharp tailoring – and subverts them with a 2020s sex appeal. Cargo vests were paired under suits, which were later seen in sheer iterations, exposing the inner linings of trousers. Leather seen in button-down shirts, trousers and bomber jackets, and croc trenches in deep burgundy. A big win for sexy menswear indeed.
Emporio Armani
Being the last collection to be overseen by the Armani duo Leo Dell’Orco and Silvana Armani before the recently appointed Dario Vitale takes over proceedings, you’d imagine they’d want to go out with a bang. Their lasting impression? A masterclass in monochromatic dressing. With looks split between shades that go from white to greys and blues to eventually black, we see the house’s signature flowy, relaxed tailoring on full display. Crinkled doubled-breasted suits draped in natural sophistication, wide-leg trousers puddled over low-profile tassel loafers and heathered bomber jackets even featured marbling embellishments. A quiet yet fitting farewell, and we can’t wait for what Vitale’s got in store for us next season.
