Milan Fashion Week: Mix of styles at Prada, joyful colours at Fendi

Milan - Italian fashion house Prada paired military-style shirts with bell-shaped skirts and elegant evening gloves on Thursday, in a collection designed to challenge traditional notions of glamour.

Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons revisited the theme of uniforms for their spring/summer 2026 show at Milan Fashion Week, with the aim of deconstructing traditional outfits.

Simons explained that the collection was a "recomposition" of garments aimed at making the wearer feel freer, with the fabric barely touching the body in places. Faux uniform-style pockets were added to the front of a soft-skirted dress; boiler suits were paired with heels; and a silky black jacket was featured.

Bras were worn loosely without traditional support, skirts were suspended from the shoulders and dresses were lifted at the hem to reveal looser fabric.

Speaking to the press backstage, Simons described the approach as "anti-sculptural". "A woman can feel beautiful, free, chic and luxurious in a uniform as well as in a flowing dress," he said. "The clothes are also very interchangeable, you can wear them in multiple ways," he added.

Miuccia Prada, 76, who heads the family's luxury empire, said she wanted to "try to build a new form of elegance".

"Nonchalant elegance" at Fendi

The previous day at Fendi, another historic Italian brand, Silvia Venturini Fendi focused on soft, sensual shapes and joyful colours to express what the brand calls "nonchalant elegance".

The collection featured jackets with ruched bubble hems; ruffled skirts; transparent organza shirts for both men and women; and matching twisted silk knit tops and skirts.

True to the tradition of a brand that started with leather and fur, bags took centre stage. One was adorned with beads forming a floral pattern that was echoed on other garments.

"It's about a relaxed, colourful sense of well-being, with a romantic elegance," Fendi explained in the show notes. "Simple gestures with complex work behind them".