From Dolce & Gabbana’s greatest hits to Prada’s standout outerwear, this year’s fashion shows explored menswear through the lens of identity, nature and a return to sartorial classics
Milan opened the men’s autumn/winter 2026 season with a condensed calendar, where presentations outnumbered traditional runway shows. It felt like a barometer of a moment in which product and the end customer take precedence over spectacle. That mood was echoed in the collections, many of which returned to sartorial classics, offering reassurance amid the socio-political turmoil shaping the start of 2026.
DOLCE & GABBANA
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana challenged the very idea of what constitutes a collection, sending 100 standalone looks down the runway to celebrate male individuality. ‘There is no single way to be a man; there are infinite possibilities,’ read the show notes. Models emerged from a portal, with each look being conceived as a self-contained universe.
The parade revisited the codes that have made the brand globally recognisable across different eras: sharp tailoring in matt silks and chevron wool spoke to its southern Italian roots, while ripped, baggy jeans, white deep-V tops and oversized faux-fur coats nodded to the swagger of the early noughties. Something for everyone.
BRUNELLO CUCINELLI
The king of cashmere reflected on the relationship between humankind and nature with a collection rooted in pragmatism. ‘We thought about a contemporary explorer,’ said Cucinelli, standing beside a smiling group of models who looked to be genuinely enjoying themselves. ‘A sporty man, yet impeccably dressed. He wears cargo trousers with a tie and a bomber jacket.’ The balance between functionality and sartorial elegance was struck through shirts layered beneath Cucinelli’s signature soft knitwear and luxurious outerwear cut in modern silhouettes.
SANTONI
Italian luxury footwear brand Santoni unveiled Aurora, a collection defined by a rich winter palette that takes inspiration from nature. Shades of brown, green, burgundy and burnt orange are brought to life through the house’s signature “Velatura” finish – a hand-applied colouring technique layered delicately to achieve depth and luminosity.
The hues extended beyond footwear at Bar Aurora, where cocktails echoing the collection’s colours were served – some even using a gin produced in Corridonia, the brand’s hometown. This season Santoni leaned into the outdoors, revisiting the Carlo shoe in calfskin leather. The loafer and boot hybrid has been updated with a reversible Cervino sole designed to tackle rugged, icy terrain.
MONTBLANC
German luxury maker Montblanc took over Salone dei Tessuti, inviting guests on a journey through its latest leather goods and writing instruments. Exploration and discovery were the fil rouge of the presentation, staged inside train-carriage sets that nodded to the aesthetic of last year’s Wes Anderson campaign.
The spotlight fell on the Writing Traveller briefcase, a carry-all for creative minds on the move. Crafted in full-grain leather, it reveals a portable writing desk when its front pocket is unzipped, designed to house Montblanc’s essential travel companions: notebooks, pens and watches.
The journey concluded beneath Montblanc’s The Tree of Writing paper art installation, where celebrities Emma Roberts, Jamie Campbell Bower and brand ambassador Zinedine Zidane were spotted putting pen to paper.
PRADA
Prada made one of the strongest cases of the season with a parade of slinky outerwear and precise tailoring. ‘How can we imagine the future in this moment of extreme change?’ Miuccia Prada asked herself. The answer: a quest for clarity, ultimately realised through elegance and beauty, as she explained backstage.
Three-button and double-breasted jackets elongated already slender silhouettes, while colourful capelets introduced a playful note to ultra-fitted trench coats. ‘We reversed the form of certain things that we know so well,’ added Raf Simons, co-designer of the Italian house. Mold-stained shirts appeared with French cuffs left undone and buttons running down the back. ‘Everything you see, you know. But the result, you don’t,’ he said.
That same logic extended to the setting. The Deposito was transformed with stucco, wooden panelling and marble-clad fireplaces, creating a space that felt transitional yet familiar – like a palazzo emptied in anticipation of imminent change. The mise-en-scène brought to mind Hannah Arendt’s definition of the present as a zone of tension between past and future, resulting in a collection which felt focused and free of nostalgia.
DUNHILL
At Dunhill, the past was revisited with romantic ease, translated into elegant yet wearable designs inspired by the style of Lord Snowdon, the British photographer and aristocrat who was married to Princess Margaret. Car coats and driving jackets were layered over precisely cut tailoring in smoky sharkskin, birdseye and nailhead weaves.
‘The collection refers to Lord Snowdon and the corresponding explosion of creativity in menswear in the 1960s, and a new guard of tailors on Savile Row,’ said creative director Simon Holloway, as he walked us through the salons of Villa Mozart where the intimate presentation took place. Richly textured fabrics including alpaca, cashmere and camel hair underscored the quiet refinement for which the British heritage brand is known.
FERRAGAMO
Ferragamo returned to the men’s calendar with a display at The Wilde club, celebrating its signature Tramezza – the flexible leather layer inserted between insole and sole. The event sat within the “Legends, Reimagined” project, starring World Cup alpine ski racer Alberto Tomba, which pays tribute to the Florentine shoemaker’s near-century-long legacy. ‘The Tramezza is an icon of our heritage,’ said James Ferragamo, a third-generation family member. ‘It represents the structural integrity and impeccable execution that define a Ferragamo shoe.’
STONE ISLAND
Stone Island, meanwhile, looked ahead to new challenges with Prototype Research_Series 09, a limited edition showcasing its ongoing commitment to material innovation. This iteration places the focus on knitwear: a cotton chenille hooded cardigan subjected to an air-lamination process.
The result is a highly covetable edit of just 100 pieces, each incorporating a waterproof, breathable membrane and offered in multiple colourways at €1,000. Rumor has it the series almost sold out within hours of its presentation at the Via Tortona showroom, where filmmaker and artist Ken-Tonio Yamamoto staged an installation echoing the mechanics of knitting machines.
ZEGNA
At Zegna, a shared family wardrobe took centre stage. The Palazzo del Ghiaccio was reimagined as domestic space with rugs, warm lighting and a series of closets stocked with Gildo and Paolo Zegna’s personal items – the third generation to be at the helm of the brand.
Tailoring arrived in generous proportions crafted from sumptuous tweeds, Shetland wools and a mohair gabardine. The rich past behind the Italian label informed creative director Alessandro Sartori’s vision, as suggested by the museum-like display of the first suit made for Count Ermenegildo Zegna in the 1930s. Yet the collection didn’t feel out of time. Double-breasted jackets were revisited with intermediate button closure, while blazers and blousons in an earthy colour palette featured double lapels or collars, showing a playful attitude to formalwear.
‘We take deep pride and make a lot of effort in doing what we do,’ says Sartori. ‘The idea of creating something that can be kept, reused and reinterpreted for a long time energises us.’
TOD’S
The mid-century interiors of Villa Necchi Campiglio provided a unique backdrop for the Tod’s presentation, The Italian Touch. This season, the spotlight was on the Winter Gommino, a rugged ankle boot made of premium calf-leather suede coming with a cashmere or shearling lining. A standout feature of the ready-to-wear collection is the Castello jacket, softly rendered from Pashmy suede. A special treatment makes the leather extremely supple and lightweight.
CANALI
Canali transformed the space at Galleria Meravigli into its own private members’ club, displaying elegant staples for the modern gentleman. Sartorial silhouettes and leisurewear fused organically in a collection built for the transition from boardroom to weekend. Wool-cashmere cardigans were paired with oversized shearling bombers, while soft wool polos were slipped beneath blazers and double-breasted jackets with ease.
CHURCH’S
Celebrating the beauty of classical music, British footwear brand Church’s took over Sala Barozzi – a hall renowned for its exquisite acoustics. Polished wooden floors and a frescoed ceiling framed iconic styles such as monk straps, Chelsea boots and the Derbies, displayed as if forming an imaginary orchestra. One of the new entries to capture our attention was the winter iteration of the fisherman sandal, coming in tweed, tartan and knickerbocker wool.
