Mix and match at Prada, joyful colour at Fendi

Italian fashion house Prada offered a striking vision for spring/summer 2026 at Milan Fashion Week, blending military references with soft, elegant silhouettes to challenge traditional ideas of glamour. Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons once again explored the concept of uniforms, but this season with a deliberate focus on deconstruction and fluidity.

Simons described the collection as a “recomposition” of clothing — garments designed to liberate the wearer rather than restrict. Fabrics were cut and draped so lightly that in some pieces they barely touched the body. A dress with a soft, flowing skirt featured mock uniform-style pockets on the front, while utilitarian boiler-suit jumpsuits were unexpectedly paired with sleek heels and a glossy black jacket.

The collection also played with traditional ideas of fit and construction. Brassieres were worn loosely, offering no conventional support. Skirts were suspended from the shoulders rather than sitting at the waist, and several dresses were lifted at the hem to reveal layers of fuller fabric underneath. This “anti-sculptural approach,” as Simons called it, encouraged freedom of movement and a sense of ease.

“A woman can feel amazing and free and chic and luxurious in a uniform as much as in a flowy dress,” Simons said backstage, emphasizing the interchangeability of the pieces. “The clothes are also very versatile — you can wear them in many different ways.”

Miuccia Prada, 76, said the aim was to create “a new kind of elegance” that feels both modern and instinctive.

The theme of relaxed refinement carried over to Fendi, which presented its own spring/summer 2026 collection the day before. Creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi focused on soft, sensual shapes and joyful colors, evoking what the house called “nonchalant elegance.”

Highlights included scrunched balloon-hem jackets, tiered skirts, and sheer organza shirts designed for both men and women. Matching silk cable-knit tops and skirts offered a sense of playful sophistication. True to the brand’s roots in leather and fur, accessories took center stage. One standout handbag was constructed entirely from beads in a floral motif, mirrored elsewhere across the collection.

“It’s about a relaxed and colorful sense of ease with a romantic elegance,” the show notes read. “Simple gestures with complex work behind them.”

Together, Prada and Fendi set the tone for Milan Fashion Week: elegance remixed, freedom embraced, and glamour reimagined.