The Best Looks of Milan Fashion Week 2024
Our favorites from Fendi, Etro, Jil Sander, and more.
What makes Italian designers so different from their peers is the unapologetic love for extravagance, craft, and panache for pizazz. This decadence will be on full display from Tuesday, September 17, to Monday, September 23, as Milan Fashion Week takes centerstage on the fashion month calendar. Kim Jones at Fendi kicked things off with the iconic Italian brand's centenary collection, which recalled the roaring 20s with its parade of futuristic flapper dresses, loose silhouettes, and demure layering.
Show settings can often enhance the impact of a runway show, and the Fendi finale proved that as a huge cube mechanism slowly opened up to reveal the models on full display, ready to descend back onto the runway. Other brands utilizing mise en scène to the fullest included the mirrored runway at the Boss show that was laid out amongst a foggy garden scene, Marni, where models wearing whimsical creations crisis crossed through rows of wooden chairs, and Alberta Ferretti Grecian goddesses who glided through the hallways of Italy's National Museum of Science and Technology.
Ahead, we'll be compiling our favorite looks from the runways as Milan Fashion Week continues to deliver jaw-dropping fashion.
Fendi
Milan Fashion Week started with a bang thanks to Fendi's Roaring '20s-inspired show. For the brand's centenary collection, designer Kim Jones conjured up stunning outfits that evoked the decadence and carefreeness of the bygone era. From demure lightweight layering, loose romantic silhouettes, and fabulous flapper dresses, there was plenty that would have any Great Gatsby fan drooling over.
Marni
Marni designer Francesco Risso let his imagination run wild at the brand's spring/summer 2025 collection as models wore clothes that looked like whimsical children's drawings come to life. Standouts included swirling sequin prints covered cocktail dresses and were punctuated by appliques that mimicked both feathers and foliage, crayon-colored column dresses were set off kilter with oversized pirate-esque hats that seemed as if they were folded from paper, and the brand's signature florals collaged together as if they were from a scrapbook.
Alberta Ferretti
Set against Italy's National Museum of Science and Technology historical courtyard, Alberta Ferretti's latest runway show brought a grand vision of fashions worthy of the Roman Empire. Gorgeous goddess gowns in both saturated and muted colors floated past onlookers, leaving them in awe of their detailing, while sharply tailored silk suits and relaxed separates gave us much to consider for our spring wardrobes. Although the fabrics were light and airy, there was a strong confidence that radiated from the models.
Boss
At the Boss show, models walked out onto a mirrored runway laid out upon a secret garden. This majestic scene proved to be a well-suited setting for the collection, which was based on 9-to-5 escapism and sought to push the boundaries on the "conventional parameters of corporate attire," as the show notes stated. Typical pieces synonymous with office attire were expertly layered in imaginative and desirable ways that made one remember just how much fun you can have styling classic pieces.
Jil Sander
The work of Canadian photographer Greg Girard served as the inspiration for Lucie and Luke Meier's surreal Jil Sander collection. Familiar clothes were given an edgy twist, like a pink prom dress distorted with an oversized collar and intricate pin tucking or a humble, plain cotton smock dress adorned with a jewel-encrusted collar that made it look anything but ordinary. Girard's neon images of old-school cars were printed on blouses and skirts that reminded us to look for the beauty, or rather peculiarity, in everyday objects.
Del Core
With a collection that effortlessly fused elements of nature and science fiction into brilliant clothes and a finale walk by Naomi Campbell, Creative Director and Founder Daniel Del Core continues to show why his namesake brand is one to watch. The clothes felt familiar but were contrasted with edgy updates like pairing lace looks with sleek latex opera gloves, wavy hems that bounced as models walked by, and silk gowns that melted into flowing chiffon.
Roberto Cavalli
Fausto Puglisi's latest vision for Roberto Cavalli's spring/summer collection included all the bombshell glamour—feathers and sequins, beware—that the brand has become famous for. But Puglisi also explored his own roots in the seaside of Sicily with a series of sandy white looks that were detailed with ropes, plissé shifts that featured a sunset, and watercolor print gowns that moved with fluid motion.
Etro
A thunderous soundtrack by singer-songwriter Daniela Pes and eccentric styling courtesy of Gabriela Karefa Johnson helped bring exuberant optimism to Marco De Vincenzo's Etro collection. As models walked down to the pounding music played live by Pes, it was hard not to be enamored by the rich layers of floral paisley prints, lace and crochet separates, colorful sequins, and piles of jewelry they wore. At Etro embracing a more-is-more mentality is always the norm and we're all the better for it.
Max Mara
No collection made us want to ditch our pants quite like the Max Mara. While the ready-to-wear presented was modern minimalism perfected, there was a sense of sultriness strung throughout the collection, with many of the looks worn with bum-skimming briefs or featuring deceptive cutouts and subtle peaks of black bralettes. Even a grand floor-length white shirt dress felt fresh and light with a higher-than-high slit that revealed a pair of briefs worn underneath. Who says minimal dressing can't be headturning?
Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini
Pretty perfection was served up in heaps at the Philosophy show. Big bubble hems and airy lace in creamy colors made models look like they were floating down the runway like windblown dandelions. Sheer pleated outfits and relaxed suit separates in darker tones like olive, coco, and mauve added a groundedness to the collection. One part princess and the other part practical proved to be a winning formula for the brand.
Prada
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons hit the ball out of the park with their spring/summer retro-futurism collection that sought to combine "elements from different eras coexisting simultaneously to challenge any theory of chronology, creating impossible contradictions." This manifested in a menagerie of looks from 1950s brassieres worn with harness skirts, 60s sci-fi metallics paired with 90s minimalist knits, and '70s-inspired bow blouses accessorized with alien-like sunglasses. This exciting friction between old and new, familiar and foreign, put Prada on top as one of the season's best shows by far.
MM6 Maison Margiela
The clothes at MM6 are the kind you want to wear to make a statement at a ritzy rave while looking like you didn't try. Indeed, according to their show notes, effortlessness was the main focal point for the brand. This care-free attitude was put on stylish display with pieces made of plastic bags, slashes of mayhem, suits, cowboy boots, and the brand's iconic Dr. Martens 1460 8-eyelet collab boots covered in crackling white paint. While much work goes into each MM6 look, there always remains an enviable nonchalantness to it all.
Bottega Veneta
Matthieu Blazy keeps things interesting at Bottega Veneta by pushing himself to expand on house codes. While he never quite repeats himself, you can always quickly identify a Blazy creation by its boldness, creativity, and, sometimes surprisingly, wearability. On paper, a black dress covered in beads that look like match sticks or a kaleidoscope-printed bandana top paired with a pleated peplum skirt may all sound like much too much to wear day-to-day life, but suddenly become objects of daily desire in the hands of Blazy.
Moschino
There's always humor and cheekiness to be found at a Moschino show, and Adrian Appiolaza's second collection for the brand was no different. Many of the looks had plenty of camp appeal, especially the closing looks that featured models wearing backward dresses, but our favorites were the ones that also felt like you could actually wear them. Standouts include the series of white looks like a longsleeved dress with the blueprint of a trench emblazoned on it, a draped gown that looked as if the model had covered herself in bedsheets, and a turban-to-toe blue polka dot moment.
Ferrari
Ferrari really revved things up with a fashion-forward yet totally wearable collection of driving-inspired outfits. Clothes wrapped models in matter that invoked the "warm and welcoming like the interior of a car"—especially a Ferrari. While Creative Director Rocco Iannone is sure to stay in the Ferrari-inspired lane when he engineers each collection, they still manage to feel new like with his seasonal takes on tailoring and separates, colorful boilersuits and bombers to even the brand's iconic horse logo, which became a red-hot sequined print.
Versace
Guests entered the historic Castle Sforzesco at the Versace show, where a winding runway snaked through the courtyard. The show began with Beethoven's 5th blasting through speakers as models slinked out in a flurry of psychedelic printed party dresses—as only Donatella could envision, naturally. The Paris Hilton party girl aesthetic meets eclectic Carrie Bradshaw styling made for a haute hodgepodge of spring must-have pieces. At the top of our list? The wavy zig-zag tops and floral chainmail skirts.
Diesel
The setting of the Diesel show was a vast warehouse filled with piles of denim scraps covering the floor and ceiling-high columns. A narration of denim's history and technical aspects boomed overhead with an overall repeated message—Diesel is denim. This continual homage to the brand's denim roots never feels stale with Glenn Martens now at the helm. The collection may have felt a bit post-apocalyptic as models weaved through the indigo fabric landscape in Mad Max-worthy clothes. Still, a range of desirable clothing was offered—from grungy club wear to elevated outerwear and eveningwear.
Bally
The satirical and nonsensical nature of the Dada artistic movement inspired Bally's Creative Director Simone Bellotti's spring/summer collection with clothes that threw convention out the window in favor of more unusual offerings. Evening wear was transformed by a petal-like peplum and molded taffeta, while ready-to-wear for the day, like blazers, sweaters, and pants that were oddly oversized to the point where they became more abstract notions of clothes than what we are typically accustomed to. The result was a charming and thoughtful approach to dressing.
Missoni
The latest Missoni collection was meant to teleport onlookers to another dimension, "one in which chaos becomes order and order keeps the energy of chaos through the endless dance of colors and shapes." This chaos was translated into a flurry of futuristic tribal looks in flashy primary colors—like red, blue, and yellow—which were mixed and matched with stark black and white and the iconic zigzag patterns that the house has become famous for. Chaos may have ruled supreme throughout the collection, but we found it an incredibly innovative step forward for the storied design house.
Gucci
Casual grandeur has played an integral part in Gucci's design aesthetic, and for next season, Sabato de Sarno translated that through his sartorial obsessions—tailoring, lingerie, leather, and 60s silhouettes—all combined with the "tireless exploration of the heritage of this brand—and always with an irreverent attitude." Obsession-worthy grand coats, glossy leather, and A-line skirts were debuted in colors that included the iconic Gucci Rosso Ancora, white, tones of green, and a touches of citrus.
Sportmax
The Sportmax spring/summer collection evoked the element of water and the vitality of spring with fluid-like clothes that offered both a sense of chic clarity but also swirling complexity. Dew-drop beaded pieces swished by like a passing storm, model's walked by in block heels that looked like ice cubes and some even carried crystal clear tote bags that carried buckets of water that splashed about. Who knew that spring showers could be so inspiring?
Tod's
'Artisinal Intelligence" was the central idea behind by the house's Creative Director, Matteo Tamburini. As guests walked into the vast venue, they were welcomed by a row of artisans hand stitching together the house's iconic driving loafers, overlooking an art installation by artist Lorenzo Quinn that featured giant hands holding giant looping structures that resembled ribbon that model's wearing chic, streamlined, clothes weaved through. In an era where technology has become omnipresent it was comforting to be reminded that beauty can still come from the hands of humans.
Ferragamo
For Ferragamo's spring/summer collection, Maximilian Davis explored the house's history with ballet. Using Salvatore Ferragamo's muse, dancer and anthropologist Katherine Dunham, an image of Rudolf Nureyev wearing custom-made Ferragamo ballerina shoes in the 1980s, and the energy of the Caribbean Davis created a vibrant collection that utilized balletcore inspired cotton layers that were twisted and tied, ballooning silhouettes and fabulous fringes that moved with flare. This expressive elegance was evident from the over-the-top decadence to the minute details in every look.
Emporio Armani
Giorgio Armani has remained at the top of Italian fashion due to his unwavering adherence to only making beautiful clothes. His work for his Emporio may seldom stray from his tried-and-true formula of chic suits, flirty frocks, and shining sequins, but each collection manages to wow us with its sublime chicness and jaw-dropping craftsmanship. For the spring/summer collection, unisex dressing got a glamour makeover as models wore pieces typically associated with men, like ties, tuxedos, and parkas that were decked to the nines with elaborate designs.
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