Highlights Reel From Milan Fashion Week

One of the fashion industry’s most important events of the year, Milan fashion week 2021 wasn’t about to be deterred by COVID. Like other cities’ fashion weeks we’ve seen this year (Copenhagen, London) Milan took fashion week and made a digital fete out of the event.

Of course, we had to participate, watching runway videos and trawling our favourite brands to see just what they were putting on show.

Here, we’ve rounded up the highlights of MFW 2021so that you can see the best-of-the-best all in once place. From neutral colours to runway robots, keep scrolling to see the full gamut of looks fresh out of Milan this season.

Milan Fashion Week 2021 Highlights

Prada

Images: Prada

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Designer Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada debuted their partnership to great acclaim last season; this season was bold, but took note of a year of lockdown and comfort took a leading role. The collection was designed to interrogate ‘the space that exists between conventional polar opposites—the point between simplicity and complexity, elegance and practicality, limitation and release.’ Short-sleeved suiting strutted the catwalk alongside psychedelic bomber jackets and old-man cardigans beside faux fur.

Versace

Donatella Versace’s A/W 2021 collection was a modern take on power dressing, with fitted silhouettes, sleek tailoring and structured accessories. Mini lengths, strong shoulders and massive sleeves paired with bright eyeshadow and platform shoes for a suit of armour.

Fabiana Filippi

The fall collection is based around cool-weather staples: Coats, jackets, sweaters, ponchos, all constructed from luxurious, eminently touchable fabrics. In wearable, flattering neutrals, this is full of forever pieces.

Valentino

This collection was largely rendered in monochrome, with accents of gold hardware, with a mod-style aesthetic. A-line mini skirts, turtlenecks and swing capes were a nod to the label’s origins in the ’60s, but the collection was brought firmly into today with the chunky boots we’re seeing everywhere for a second season.

Dolce & Gabbana

At Dolce & Gabbana, robots walked the catwalk alongside models in protective equipment, a reference to their new collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, a research centre working on artificial intelligence. The rest of the collection was a nod to the ’90s with mixed materials, metallics and lashings of Dolce & Gabbana’s signature leopard print.

Loro Piana

Comfort and simplicity were the order of the day at Loro Piana, created with luxury and style in mind. Lines were long, in long trousers and elegant sleeves and in matching sets that draw the eye down. Designed to highlight the beauty of the wearer, these pieces are nonetheless a statement in their own right.

Zanini

Another collection of staple pieces that celebrate quality and luxury, items that have been designed to be worn forever. Long sweater dresses, winter coats and feminine suiting, all constructed in the finest wools, cashmere and silks.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Designer Paul Andrew loves a bit of cinematic mining for inspiration when crafting this season; last year he looked to classic Alfred Hitchcock films, and this season he referenced films set in the future, primarily The Matrix and Gattaca). There were notes of the military and outdoor adventure sports, and a strong emphasis on sustainability, with upcycled and recycled materials alongside more ethical production.

Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini

Lorenzo Serafini presented a collection of Italian maximalism meets school uniform. Pleats, letterman patches and preppy trims brought strong feelings of nostalgia for a simpler time, while modern notes (the season’s chunky boots and thin cat-eye sunglasses) kept the look in the here and now.

Max Mara

For the 70th anniversary of the brand, creative director Ian Griffiths took inspiration from the mainstays of the English countryside. The result is a collection that is luxurious as much as it is practical. In tartans, cashmere and knits, midi skirts paired with thick Aran knits, quilted coats, long socks and chunky boots—cementing another season of their high-fashion status.

Fendi

Designer Kim Jones said of his collection that, “There’s a usefulness to the collection, explored in a chic, timeless way,” and there’s no doubt that these are wear-forever pieces. In neutral tones—creams, blushes, tans, blacks—the collection included fitted coats, draped silk dresses, knit crop tops with fluid pencil skirts to match, and satin blouses. All flattering, feminine and, as he claimed, timeless.

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