The trends we spotted at Milan Fashion Week SS26

Tis’ the season of anticipated creative director debuts. At Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2026, our regularly scheduled programming was dominated by first outings: Dario Vitale’s retro sex appeal at Versace, Demna’s glamorous family values at Gucci and Louise Trotter’s triumphant craft at Bottega Veneta. With first-timers eager to make their mark (whilst honouring their respective house’s codes, of course), the SS26 collections felt a bit more unpredictable than usual; a thrilling proposition, but one that made significant through lines a bit less relevant.

Still, a handful of inescapable trends made their mark in Milan, bringing some appreciated order to the chaos. Perhaps as a rebellion against all that newness (and a sign that the finances of fashion remain in flux), the season’s trends were comfortingly familiar. Below, we break down the emerging trends we spotted at Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2026.

Related: The trends we spotted at London Fashion Week SS26

No longer simply the purview of winter, layers get a spring/summer twist for 2026 by way of feather light fabrications. Light-as-air button-ups met with whisper-thin knitwear, cardigans and lace and exposed bras. And as temperatures drop, simply layer up top and skip the bottoms all-together.

The office siren has a natural successor in the form of the sexy librarian. Shrunken cardigans, body-hugging pencil skirts, reading glasses and killer heels (all the better to reach the top shelf) – the bookworms of spring/summer 2026 know their way around a good read.

The bra tops of the season are, in fact, groundbreaking. At Prada, the signature triangle got a cheeky insertion by way of those cut-out strapless bras and at Dolce & Gabbana, a pyjama-themed runway (mirroring the men’s collection from earlier this summer) found lace and floral bras to match playful sets. But the bra of the season was that embellished Versace masterpiece, which already made its stage debut by way of bra-as-top aficionado Addison Rae.

Anyone who’s seen a dystopian film knows that in the future we will all be wearing sharp grey tailoring. According to the Milan SS26 runways, that future is now. From boiler suits at Prada to bra-baring cutouts at Jil Sander, the outlook may not be bright, but it looks damn good.

In Milan, yellow continues to dominate the SS26 runways, this time leaning ever-so-slightly towards green (another colour that just won’t quit). A subtle time of enduring optimism? We like to think so.

Another trend typically reserved for fall has migrated over to the spring/summer season: the fuzzy statement coat. This is feeling specifically Scandinavian-coded; here, we’re used to wearing our faux furs well into so-called springtime.