The Milan Fashion Week Men's spring/summer 2025 gathering has finished for another season and – like the Florence trade fair Pitti Uomo, which immediately preceded the event – tailoring in all its guises has emerged as a key element for menswear next year.
Given a decidedly relaxed bent for spring/summer 2025, no doubt an attempt to antidote worrying news around the world, tailoring now means well-cut but loose, rather than sharply contoured to the body, in a move towards a more laid back, relaxed aesthetic.
This season Milan was thrown upside down by a show that wasn't even expected on Monday, when Valentino dropped images of the first collection by its new creative director Alessandro Michele, blowing up the internet as a result.
Valentino
Despite not slated to deliver anything until his first runway show at September's Paris Fashion Week, Michele caught everyone off guard (in a good way) with his unexpected resort 2025 collection, which ran to a whopping 171 looks.
In a case of history repeating itself, this is the second time Michele has turned around a complete collection and new direction in record time. When he took over at Gucci in 2015 he famously had just two weeks to bring his ideas to the runway. This time around his tenure at Valentino began barely two months ago.
Filled with Michele’s signature decadence and complex layering – with turbans, clashing patterns, embroidered details, and even fur cuffs – this new collection, titled Avant les Debuts, picked up where he left off at Gucci. While many of the codes will be instantly recognisable to many, here it felt lighter, more refined and with greater polish.
However, the arrival of his first collection for Valentino, released hours before the Gucci menswear show, cannot be seen as anything but highly orchestrated. It has set the industry abuzz, with many labelling it the fashion equivalent of a diss track.
Gucci
Over at Gucci meanwhile, Michele’s successor Sabato De Sarno delivered his second men’s collection, this time themed around surfing.
Comprising of short shorts, boxy shirts in bright dolphin and hibiscus prints, and round-toe slippers that look set to be the male version of the mesh ballet pumps dominating women's fashion this summer, it was energetic and upbeat.
Mac coats arrived in glossy leather, accessorised with sunglasses on foam straps, and in colours that were bold and skilfully mixed, such as green or lilac with bitter chocolate brown.
Given that de Sarno is still finding his feet at Gucci, the use of colour was a little too reminiscent of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s time at Valentino, while the cuts veered a little too close to Prada's signature aesthetic for comfort, yet felt wearable and optimistic.
Prada
At Prada, co-designers Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada focused on youth, declaring that “youth is the future … it is hope.”
Delivering looks that purposely looked lived in, as if borrowed from someone else, this appeared as shrunken jumpers and cardigans with sleeves notably too short, shirts that were twisted around the body, and neatly tailored trousers worn low on the hips and either dragging on the floor, or cropped to the ankle.
There were hoodies, tiny bomber jackets and the Prada version of concert merch T-shirts, with prints by the artist Bernard Buffet. Shocks of Barbie pink, hot orange, daffodil yellow, acid green, turquoise and even floral prints peppered the otherwise sombre palette of grey, fawn, white and black.
Fendi
With Fendi about to turn 100 years old, menswear and accessories designer Silvia Venturini Fendi turned to the company archive for inspiration. The result was the unveiling of a new crest made from four of the house’s motifs, including the famous double-F and emblazoned across all manner of shirts, tops and jackets, plus a focus on the impeccable craftsmanship of the Italian house.
This appeared as a saddlery stitch adorning bags, the edges of trench coats, and as quilting on jackets. The clothes. in contrast, were relaxed and carefree, such as sleeveless rugby tops, boxy shirts and shorts, long tabards worn under blouson jackets, and semi-sheer shirts.
Dolce & Gabbana
At Dolce & Gabbana artisanship was on the agenda, with a collection called Italian Beauty, which opened with a jacket woven from wicker more typically seen on chairs.
This appeared again in more wearable guise, as jackets woven from fine strips of white or black leather, a show of skill that certainly hit the mark. These square jackets marked a shift away from the designers' tight tailoring, towards something more relaxed, more summery, shown here as sheer polo shirts, lightweight jackets, pleat front trousers that tapered to the ankle, and breezy shirts worn open almost to the waist that carried a liberal helping of 1950s dolce vita.
Emporio Armani
Emporio Armani delved into a languid mood, with the designer’s signature fluid suiting tied at the waist with woven leather belts and tucked into heavy boots, conjuring a silhouette which we can expect to be copied the world over.
An ode to abandoning “tough city living” in favour of “fresh and enchanting softness”, this collection centred on simplicity, with tuxedo jackets in soft velvet worn open, roomy trousers that swayed with each step and cropped jackets with safari-like pockets. Colours meanwhile were also soft, in tones of lilac, Armani’s signature greige, faded peach, off-white and shades of sand.
About to celebrate his 90th birthday in July, Giorgio Armani took his bow alongside the head of the men's and women's divisions, Leo Dell’Orco and Silvana Armani, respectively, signalling a possible nod to who will take over the house when time comes.
