From September 17 to October 1, 2024 the eyes of the fashion world were fixed on Milan and Paris, as luxury houses and independent designers alike unveiled their Spring/Summer 2025 collections. These two iconic fashion capitals hosted runway shows and presentations in a variety of settings, from grand cathedrals and expansive events halls to more intimate places like and apartments. The atmosphere was electric, both on the catwalks and on the streets, yet despite the dynamic environments, many designers appeared to look back in time rather than pushing forward, and some even retreating into playful childhood fantasies. Here’s an overview of the most striking trends and moments from these two fashion weeks.
Milan: The Classics Meet Playful Childhood Escapism
When times are difficult and crises abound, fashion often retreats into a world of fantasy or escapes into exotic realities, offering a temporary refuge from the hardships of the reality.
In Milan, Prada continued its four-year collaboration between 75-year-old Miuccia Prada and creative designer Raf Simons, sticking to their signature style of “minimalist baroque”. This season, the SS 2025 collection extended the duo’s flair for contrast, combining and almost unsettling elements like Christmas tree patterns on wool jackets with glued-on leather belts and quirky, shield-like sunglasses. Belts were worn under archaic dresses adorned with rough metal decorations, which were considered an innovation in the 1960s by the fashion houses of André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne. Meanwhile, sunglasses flirted with the idea of the future.
At Etro, Marco De Vincenzo’s women’s collection brought a breath of Mediterranean air to the runway with flowing silhouettes, sensuous cuts, and decorative motifs, reminiscent of hand-painted tiles. Models walked amongst towering agave plants, showcasing vibrant colors and psychedelic jacquards, with flowing cuts, some featuring twisted necklines and sensually fluttering flounces.
Back to childhood is one of the trends of this year’s Milan Fashion Week. Marni’s collection, led by Francesco Risso, felt almost like a theatrical escape, filled with bright floral patterns and an air of rebellious punk energy, reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood’s iconic ‘the Voyage to Cythera’ or ‘Pirate’ collections from the 1980s. At the Bottega Veneta show, the space was transformed with playful seats — leather bean bags shaped like cute animal figures. Designer Mathieu Blasi shared this feel that anything can happen, no matter how fantastic, and you are not so attached to ordinary expectations and conventions”. This collection combined the sophistication of Bottega Veneta with the joyful and fearless energy of youth was opened with oversized office chic – surreal and elegant at the same time. The combination of a skirt and pants was particularly striking. The models carried bags designed to resemble supermarket plastic bags made of trompe l’oeil leather, which turned out to be remarkable.
In April of this year, the fashion world mourned the loss of maestro Roberto Cavalli. The current collection refers to his creations of the 1990s, and at the finale of the fashion show, supermodels from that time, including Karen Elson, Natasha Poly, Isabeli Fontana, Joan Smalls, Eva Herzigova and Alec Nedelya, strutting in iconic Cavalli dresses. Designer’s widow and business partner, Eva, emotionally watched the spectacle from the front row alongside another supermodel of that era, Naomi Campbell.
Milan Fashion Week 2025 has unveiled intriguing trends, such as heavy trench coats in new colors and materials, prominently displayed in shows by Tod’s, Moschino, and Prada. Micro shorts paired with long-sleeved blouses emerged as another standout trend, creating a sophisticated silhouette that accentuates the legs — ideal for those looking to showcase them. Additionally, wearing dresses over trousers — a popular aesthetic in Southeast Asia — has been adapted into more Western interpretations. Meanwhile, the waist returns to its usual place, adopting a more feminine silhouette, sometimes pared with blazers.
Paris: From Ruffles to Surrealism
Paris greeted guests with rainy weather, but the runways were filled with light and airy dresses adorned with plenty of ruffles. At Chloé, Chemena Kamali emerged as the biggest ally of flounces and ruffles, while continuing her exploration of 60s and 70s aesthetics. Slip dresses were decorated with lace, cardigans had flounces, and long dresses, shortened at the front, swirled almost wildly around the models’ bodies. Leather jackets had large boasted pockets and wide puff sleeves.
The first thing you see upon entering the newly renovated Grand Palais is a giant birdcage. It’s immediately clear that Chanel’s collection is about freedom — freedom of fashion, not for birds. Feathers adorned skirts and sunglasses, tweed was entwined with fluttering silk, and Riley Keough sings from a swing while hanging above the models passing below. Guests buzzed about the yet-to-be-announced successor to former creative director Virginie Viard.
Albert Kriemler also embraced lightness as the leitmotif of his Akris collection, filled with soft nuances. The flounces on some dresses and skirts were crafted from hat ribbons — a fashionable trick that proved practical, as the relatively stiff material doesn’t crease as easily as tulle. At Dior, an asymmetrical bodysuit proved highly functional, with some functional zippers or pockets for pens, reminiscent to workwear.
Olivier Rousteing, who has been the creative director of Balmain since 2009, stated that the main recipe for fashion is not to be fashionable, but to be yourself. His recent show didn’t quite confirm that philosophy. Balmain’s collection showcased powerful shoulders, enhancing angular hips (essentially a full back in the Marie Antoinette period), complemented by a cleverly combined trouser-boot design that ensured the pantalon super droit maintained its perfect shape. Tweed was paired with sleek ensembles, with the combination of skinny leather trousers topped with a double-breasted jacket over a simple T-shirt or tank top. Images of faces on dresses, jackets, and shorts were reproduced using hand embroidery with hundreds of thousands of mother-of-pearl beads. The multi-colored, multi-textured dress and top in looks 31 and 32 resembled wearable mascara palettes.
At Place Vendôme, the Schiaparelli set glowed bright blue, and the audience sat in anticipation of what Daniel Roseberry, the brand’s designer known for using artificial animal heads in dresses to depict Dante’s Inferno or for creating a jewel dress with a matching robot baby, would present next. It’s a good time for Roseberry at Schiaparelli, as fashion shifts from restraint to eccentricity, despite. The current collection, titled Future Vintage, was no exception.
As soon as Mona Tougaard walked down the catwalk in a white minidress with a knotted braid in her hand, and Kendall Jenner appeared in a white bodysuit with U-waist jeans, insiders realized that Roseberry was preparing to deliver another spectacular show. Candice Swanepoel took center stage in a denim dress with a corset, followed by Adriana Lima in a fitted black-and-white check minidress with puff sleeves. Roseberry’s obsession with the hourglass silhouette was evident throughout the collection, appearing in various pieces, including a denim day dress with a front zip and a black halter dress in heavy knit with ivory draping below the hips.
More surrealism followed — zebra stripes and vibrant shades of red, exquisite shapes, and massive gold jewelry — highlighted by Maggie Maurer in a red corset dress with a transparent top and a long opaque skirt that formed a braid. Bright suits gave way to beige outfits of varying sizes and shapes. A gold dress with a classic Schiaparelli keyhole graced the stage, followed by a textured turquoise set with a matching bag, a chic scarf. This “easy charm” extended to footwear, where Roseberry played with Schiaparelli’s signature gold sneakers featuring a trompe l’oeil effect on the toe.
It was interesting to look beyond the clothes and focus on the shoes. They were either completely flat or featured super high heels and platforms. Raincoats were long, T-shirts were layered over other garments or styled in bows, requiring them to be quite thin. Bags are now fashionable to be carried under the arm, regardless of their size and number of handles. The most striking among them, the Birkin Retourné from Hermès, was designed with this in mind.
