Milan Top 10 Spring 2026 Fashion Shows

It was a season of debuts, departures, and directional pivots—and Milan proved once again that it doesn’t just keep pace with fashion’s evolution, it resets it. From landmark first collections to long-building refinements, Spring 2026 offered a mix of industry-shifting statements and quiet, meaningful recalibrations. The Impression’s Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Richard selected the season’s Top 10 based not only on aesthetic impact but also on narrative clarity, craftsmanship, and emotional intelligence.

Bottega Veneta topped the list with a debut that left little room for doubt. Louis Trotter’s first outing for the house was a study in control and clarity. Proportions were sculpted, volume harnessed, and house codes reinterpreted with precision. Her collection scored the year’s first perfect 10 from Richard—a rarity that spoke to just how fully realized her vision already is. It also marked a significant turn for Bottega’s RTW profile, giving the house a new center of gravity. Prada followed with a collection that rejected structure as a fixed idea. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons treated the season as an ongoing study in recomposition, filtering daily uniform dressing through a series of unconventional lenses. The results were poetic but practical—subtle subversions that resisted spectacle and instead invited consideration.

Fendi’s optimism felt like a deliberate provocation. In a world where anxiety is easy to come by, Silvia Venturini Fendi leaned into levity—offering geometry, color, and childhood shapes with an intentional lightness. Her mood was as high as the collection’s design credentials, coming off a blockbuster centenary show and a new CEO appointment, along with the opening of a lavish new Milanese flagship. Simone Bellotti’s debut for Jil Sander took a quieter route, but no less impactful. Shown in the same venue the brand used 40 years ago, the designer spoke backstage with The Impression about studying the brand and understanding its language of restraint. If he’s still learning, the results didn’t show. Crisp folds, glitchy sheer layers, and intelligent color blocking laid out a vision that was reverent but never cautious.

Max Mara, as ever, delivered refinement over reinvention. The brand’s strength has always been its confidence in continuity, and this season showed sculptural coats and softened tailoring that sharpened—not dulled—its voice. Meanwhile, Tod’s continued its elegant climb with a collection rooted in modern Italian life. There’s nothing noisy about Tod’s, but there’s nothing timid either. The clothing was essential, not empty—understated and sure of itself. Versace, on the other hand, leaned into its legacy without becoming a caricature. The house’s signatures—slick tailoring, razor-cut minidresses, late-night drama—felt polished, not parodied. It was a remix of familiar notes played with fresh precision.

Diesel showed up with irreverent confidence, as always—but this season, with a little more depth. The transparency, the sex, the streetwear brashness—it all felt considered, not just cool. Likewise, The Attico continued its evolution from party-girl glitz to something more sophisticated. There’s still a pulse on nightlife, but this season felt more grounded. The sensuality remained, but now backed by structure and restraint.

Francesco Murano continued to assert himself with baroque flair balanced by a modern hand. The drama was there, but so was the tailoring. What might have read as excess came through as statement. Gucci didn’t walk the runway this season, but Demna still made his mark. The screening of The Tiger—complete with Demi Moore, Elliot Page, and a burgundy carpet filled with A-list guests—wasn’t a traditional show, but it was undeniably a moment. Costumed cast members in full Gucci signaled a new form of campaign-as-theater, and the result felt more like a Cannes premiere than a seasonal debut. It repositioned Gucci’s potential—and Demna’s ambition—with elegance and nerve.

Ferragamo and No. 21 shared the final spot. Under Maximilian Davis, Ferragamo continued to refine its vocabulary with clean, sculptural tailoring and a cool emotional register. It’s a brand reclaiming its space through clear, intelligent design. And at No. 21, Alessandro Dell’Acqua reminded everyone that Milan still does sensuality better than most. Lingerie dressing met razor-sharp tailoring with control, not cliché. It whispered rather than shouted—and in a week packed with declarations, it was worth leaning in to hear it.