The five key trends spotted at Milan Fashion Week, from MaxMara to Prada
Faux fur, double denim and statement-making yellow looks all stood out as key styles
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Your support makes all the difference.Fashion month is in full flow. Copenhagen kicked things off, then came the shows in New York and London and now Milan’s fashion week is well underway. Copenhagen focuses on younger, Scandi-style tastemakers, London is home to more experimental looks and Milan is the city for famous fashion labels, including the likes of Prada, Fendi, Gucci and Moschino.
The Milan Fashion Week schedule is so brimming with big brands that the event as a whole is much grander in size, attracts attendees from the top echelons of the industry and commands a lot more attention across the globe than its other fashion capital counterparts (Paris excluded, where the likes of Dior and Chanel showcase their collections).
Right now, we’re only midway through the Milan Fashion Week madness, with Fendi, Prada and Emporio Armani all included in the list of the designers who showed first. So we’ve pulled five key trends from the standout shows we’ve already seen: faux fur, sharp suiting, statement-making yellow and short shirts and skirts, all included.
A handful of other key labels, including Marni, Missoni and Gucci are all still to come, so stay tuned as we’ll be updating these trends with any other standout styles that start to seep through. And remember, it’s these fashion shows that shape what we wear in around six months, so be sure to keep an eye out for them once we step into the autumn/winter season.
Read more: What makes London Fashion Week so special?
Statement-making yellow
While red is the current trending colour palette as emphasised by the London Fashion Week street style takeover of red tights, it seems yellow is starting to seep through as the need-to-know shade. Fendi used the colour to create a striking contrast with black, Onitsuka Tiger created complimentary gold and yellow looks and Prada popped the sunshine shade above and underneath skirts to give traditional workwear a more striking style.
Of course, if you’re looking to lean into the luxury look, Prada has plenty of yellow pieces already on its website, including this fashion fan favourite crotchet tote bag (£1,550, Prada.com). Onitsuka Tiger’s famous Kill Bill trainers are also a trending must-have shoe (£155, Onitsukatiger.com). And there’s plenty of high street styles, too, including this chic River Island yellow waistcoat (£45, Riverisland.com), & Other Stories relaxed fit shirt (£45, Stories.com), and this Asos Design rib knit maxi dress (£30, Asos.com).
Sharp suiting
When it comes to workwear, we’re all guilty of reaching for a pair of trusty black trousers and a white shirt, especially when working in an office environment. Although, if you ever need inspiration on how to elevate your office attire, MaxMara is an expert at looking exceptionally chic. Sticking to a neutral colour palette of beiges and blacks, models walked down the runway in formal-fitting yet highly fashionable trouser suits, blazers and tie-side skirts, all of which we‘d love to add to our wardrobes.
To shop the exact looks, the MaxMara spring/summer collection is now available on the brand’s website, with a beige belted blazer (£645, Maxmara.com), satin trousers (£370, Maxmara.com) and double-breasted wool coat (£890, Maxmara.com) all standing out as some of our favourite styles. Or, if you’d prefer to pick up similar items from the high street, this colour block Cos shirt (£115, Cos.com) and trouser set (£125, Cos.com), H&M beige blazer (£37.99, Hm.com) and asymmetric waistcoat (£15.99, Hm.com) are all sure to elevate your office style.
Faux fur
We noticed faux fur as a key trend coming through at London Fashion Week, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that it’s also made its way to Milan. Speaking to Glenn Martens, creative director of Diesel, we wanted to find out how and why the animal-like fabric was weaved into this season’s collections. “We’ve used thick, matted wool that looks like a dishevelled fake fur, dyed on the inside so it’s like the colour is coming from within,” shared Martens. “We then have tufts of fake fur that we use as trims as if the insides are growing out. These trims run through the second half of the collection, sometimes making an exploded Diesel logo, other times trimming a hem, a seam or a silhouette,” he added, explaining how the fabric can elevate almost any look.
Of course, Diesel’s autumn/winter collection is not available to buy right now, so we turn elsewhere for shopping suggestions. Alo Yoga’s opulent faux fur cropped jacket (£355, Aloyoga.com) is a real fashion fan favourite, while this Kitri Simone vinyl coat also looks incredibly chic (£186, Coggles.com), and this & Other Stories option (£165, Stories.com) is best for those who prefer classic black.
Short shorts and skirts
You may have spotted the surprising trend of incredibly short shorts or sometimes just knickers layered over tights, and it seems that it isn’t going anywhere. MM6 Maison Margiela, GCDS and Fendi all raised the hemlines of their chic bottom layers, creating statement looks that were all about legs. Whether worn with tights as told by GCDS, balanced out with knee-high boots as shown by Fendi or left with only bare legs as showcased by MM6 Maison Margiela, there seems to be plenty of ways to adapt the look to suit your personal style.
For an easy-to-wear mini, Free People has a sleek walnut shade skirt (£68, Freepeople.com), & Other Stories has a more formal-fitting black option (£57, Stories.com) and Cos has a pleated pick (£85, Cos.com) which also caught our eye. If shopping for shorts, we’ve also spied a basic black pair from Cos (£45, Cos.com) and a warm weather-ready boxer short style from H&M (£12.99, Hm.com).
Denim designs
Just as we saw at Copenhagen Fashion Week, double, triple and even quadruple denim looks are taking over the autumn/winter runways. What makes this trend so surprising is that the fabric is such a staple in our everyday wardrobes and a favourite by many already. At Milan Fashion Week, the designers at Fendi and Diesel added an extra styling twist with chic skirts and structural shirts as two key elements to the all-denim outfits.
If looking to steal the style, Aligne has an eye-catching full denim skirt style (£99, Anthropologie.com), Hush has an easy-to-wear denim dress (£95, Hush-uk.com) and Arket has a spring-ready strap top that has truly caught our eye (£69, Arket.com).
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