Mark My Words—Everyone's Going to Want to Wear These Elegant Italian Trends

Milan’s most engaging moments during autumn/winter 2025’s Fashion Week artfully combined elegance with experimental energy—London isn’t the only city that likes to shake things up.

Using distinctive house codes we all know and love in unexpected or amped-up ways, a slew of Milan’s most prominent fashion businesses were able to lean into their heritages and aesthetics, while offering something new and fresh. Just like I see on the streets of Milano, the runways permitted a refined-yet-offbeat attitude to the fashion vision for autumn/winter 2025. Through peculiar colour palettes, strange silhouettes, fabrics that weren’t quite what they seemed, asymmetry and a mix-and-match approach to looking sophisticated, this autumnal line-up wasn’t all about classics and quiet luxury, rather finding a mid-ground between the artsy eclecticism and glamour this city exudes as well as it’s smarter, pared-back alter ego. Perhaps I’m biased but this is how I want to dress and it’s why I say non-stop during MFW that I could see myself living here. The people get dressed up on the daily but it never looks OTT.

Prada (by Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada) sent out an archetypally Prada collection that led as the week’s most talked-about show. Challenging the audience to question what femininity looks like, this runway suggested a new type of glamour, free of the archaic tropes of the past. Instead, a kind of dishevelled, undone approach gives women the freedom to be more throw-on-and-go and less curated in our overly curated, perfectly-tousled, sculpted and snatched times—sweet relief.

Forever perfecting individuality, Marni’s Francesco Rizzo continued to wow the critics with an extravaganza of riotous colour, texture, shape and, well, fun. Fendi celebrated its 100-year anniversary and despite the creative director role not yet being filled, Silvia Venturini Fendi provided a tour-du-force (tour-du-faux-fur?) of Fendi glamour that perhaps only someone like a family member entrenched in the business could really do justice. Gucci, also without a creative director, showed a confident and daring collection that will unboudtedly see editors and influencers clamouring to own anything with the brand’s signature horsebit. Ferragamo, Tod’s, Bally and Max Mara brought an abundance of classy looks and pieces to build out the most comprehensive of capsule wardrobes. Sass wasn’t far behind with David Koma’s debut at Blumarine, Versace’s vibrant dig into the archive and Dolce & Gabbana’s “cool-girl” party frocks that models took outside of the showspace for a vibey street party.

Some particular trends stood out to me as frontrunners for the bigtime next season. Keep reading to see which Milan Fashion Week autumn/winter 2025 trends I predict will be topline news.

Mob Wife Coats

Whichever manufactuer is supplying the Milan fashion houses with faux fur and shearling this season is going to have a very profitable AW25 by the looks of things. Faux fur was everywhere and on everything, from trimmed hemlines through to full-blown floorsweeping coats, the latter of which seemed to reflect last year's TikTok trend for the "mob wife" aesthetic. These coats are nothing short of dramatic and entrance-making, and they were at almost every key designer brand from Fendi (which supplied numerous options as part of their 100th anniversary celebrations) through to Ferragamo. Chicest in brown tones, I expect this trend to be one of next season's biggest.

Fringing

The trend for fringing started in London and continued with force during Milan Fashion Week. From ultra-swishy options rendered in long leather strands to fine beaded options or the subtlest of tufted edging on knitwear, this trend comes in many guises from understated to maximalist, bohemian to minimalist—meaning that brands with wildly different aesthetics (think Jil Sander vs. Etro) all agree, this is the detail du jour.

Plum

Picking up where burgundy has left off, we have already seen plum shades coming to the fore on social media. Now the colour trend has progressed from feeds and onto the runways, being a notable commitment at Max Mara where the show opened with a series of monochromatic plum looks instead of the brand's signature camel. Plum also popped up in other corners as an accent as well as a main character.

Kick Hems

Skirts have been having a good run of late—2024 felt like the year of the skirt after a long period of tailored trousers ruling supreme. The focus on this silhouette has now translated into skirts and dresses with statement hemlines, the kind that swish and kick and bounce their way through life with godets, trims and extra fabric to make a point. It's like the clothing version of a sashay and I couldn't help but fall in love with this niche but effective addition to many a collection, from Marni's sweeping midis to Amelia Gray wearing the hell out of a Roberto Cavalli peplum-hemmed LBD.

Brown Leather

Brown leather, particularly when finished with an aged or "distressed" look, was a constant fixture across the runways and presentations of Milan Fashion Week. It was Prada's worn-in ruched skirt that lured me in first, but you'll find a committment to brown leather across the gamut, from outerwear all the way to leathergoods like handbags, belts and shoes.

Knits on Knits

Comfort and elegance were best achieved through Milano's line-up of two- and three-piece knit sets. Often in ribbed finishes and autumnal hues, this felt like an ultra-luxe way to do cold-weather dressing, staying cosy without giving into the now-ubiquitous puffer coat. From Gucci's fluffy polo worn with a slouchy cardigan to Tod's marled and layered looks, this comes in many iterations from retro to preppy, bold to quiet.

Chartreuse

Should we blame Brat for an influx of fashion's most affronting colour? Chartreuse and acid greens were surprisingly present for an AW25 season, providing an off-kilter base colour that many brands paired with brown or black to make it winter-appropriate. In Gucci's case, more was more, combining the electric hue with punchy purple.