Milan menswear pares back silhouettes while leather holds on for summer
Designers showed cleaner lines and lighter tailoring at Milan Fashion Week, though leather, knits and embellishment remained prominent for summer 2027.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
Milan Fashion Week’s menswear shows for spring-summer 2027 closed Monday with designers favoring simpler shapes, lighter tailoring and more exposed skin, the Associated Press reported. The shift came during a hot week in Milan and against a backdrop the AP described as economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension.
Prada set much of the tone, according to the AP, with co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons making a case for restraint. Their collection centered on familiar garments adjusted through proportion and fabric, including leather pieces based on the everyday language of jeans.
The AP reported that the season’s main ideas included high-end materials, ventilation in formalwear and a slimmer approach to the body after years of roomier menswear. The shows also showed a practical tension: summer collections still included leather and knits, garments better suited to air conditioning, cooler climates or travel away from the city heat.
Leather stays on the summer runway
Leather was one of the more persistent materials of the Milan season, the AP reported. Prada showed slim five-pocket leather pants with cropped jackets that had flat pockets and could be worn like shirts.
Other designers tried to make the material more seasonally workable through weaving and perforation, according to the AP. Those techniques added airflow, even as the presence of leather in summer collections underscored how luxury fashion can pull away from day-to-day weather concerns.
Tailoring loosens up
The suit remained central to Milan menswear, the AP reported, but designers changed how it was worn. Jackets and shirts appeared with more open necklines, softer construction and lighter treatments intended to help formal dressing work in warmer conditions.
The AP described ventilation as a recurring answer to heat. Dress shirts were left open, made sheer or removed altogether in some looks, while long trousers remained common across the runways.
Designers also moved closer to the body after a long run of oversized silhouettes, according to the AP. Dolce & Gabbana pushed that direction with very short shorts that emphasized the legs, while some labels showed bare torsos.
Some designers chose decoration
Restraint did not define every Milan runway, the AP reported. Philipp Plein showed denim covered in crystals, a look the AP said requires days of handwork.
Dolce & Gabbana also used decoration, including beaded details that the AP said evoked coral. Those collections offered a more ornate counterpoint to Prada’s reduction.
Newer names gained attention
A less crowded Milan schedule gave emerging designers more room beside established houses, according to the AP. Martin Quad made his Milan debut with tailoring methods that had previously drawn attention in Copenhagen.
Domenico Orefice showed a co-ed collection that used leather and richly woven textiles, the AP reported. Japanese designer Shinya Kozuka also made his Milan debut with one of the season’s more summery presentations, including a bare-chested model in a flowing sheer teal coat with loose white trousers.
The AP’s account of the Milan shows points to a season trying to balance polish with heat. Designers kept the suit, revived the body and argued for simplicity, while still relying on the luxury materials and decorative craft that make runway fashion less bound by the weather outside.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.