The invitation to the Giorgio Armani fashion show, held at an art museum in Milan on Sunday night, called for formal attire, and almost all 600 attendees complied. Waiters served Champagne in the courtyard, which was lit by light boxes arranged in a grid. Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Glenn Close, and Cate Blanchett were among the guests. The show took place around the stone colonnade, and it began an hour after guests arrived, with 90 models taking the runway. Many of them were well-known: Gina Di Bernardo, Mark Vanderloo, and the delicate Agnese Zogla, a long-time Armani favorite, who closed the event. Zogla, wearing a midnight-blue beaded dress, walked the length of the colonnade by herself. It was a refined moment that Armani,who passed away earlier this month, would likely have enjoyed.

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However, let’s focus on the attire for a moment. The initial outfits, displayed on pairs, featured unstructured suits made from light materials in tones of stone and sand. Some pants included drawstrings. Supervised by Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco, who was Armani’s partner, the collection appeared to reflect the hues of a day, or the colors found on the island of Pantelleria, located between Sicily and Tunisia, where the designer had a residence. The last ensembles, all subtly adorned with delicate embroidery, achieved the color of a summer night.

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Everything that could possibly be mentioned regarding the brilliance of Giorgio Armani, hissprezzatura — his ease — has been mentioned. However, the final days of the Milan spring collections revealed the irony: His designs don’t require explanation; they are understood upon first glance. This cannot be said about two other collections, Bottega Veneta, under the direction of its new creative director, Louise Trotter, and Ferragamo, led by Max Davis.

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Bottega has been led by several talented designers in recent years, including Tomas Maier, Daniel Lee, and Matthieu Blazy, who moved on to Chanel. Each brought their own unique style. So I wondered about Trotter,in her debut, would continue the narrative or if she would introduce a new perspective to the brand.

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Although not as energetic or surprising as Blazy, she appeared to be part of his collection in terms of craftsmanship, wearing a highly textured, floor-length dress (or was it a coat made of white curly pieces?), a feathery ecru top paired with white pants, and several styles made from a shiny, bristly fabric that attracted a lot of attention and made one think of the large brush machines found in a car wash. (Trotter mentioned later that the material was recycled fiberglass “because I wanted to represent the glass of Murano.”)

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The show’s highlight was a large dark-brown leather cape with a frayed edge. Trotter mentioned it required 4,000 hours to create. Apart from the undoubtedly impressive cost, the cape appeared stunning due to its simplicity and felt light when worn. Trotter featured several elegant tops made of taffeta with slightly draped open necklines that brought to mind the bodice of an Edwardian dress reimagined. She matched one with black, masculine trousers.

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However, many of her over-the-top tailoring styles, despite being well-made, appeared bulky and overwhelming, and the trend of oversized shoulders and wide-leg pants has largely faded. In general, I found the collection to be weighed down — by high-quality materials, skill, and meaning. In other words, Trotter’s technical skill was evident, rather than what is genuinely intriguing and personal about her approach to dressing in 2026.

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Do we have any idea what that is? Only time will reveal. However, I didn’t purchase it when she stated, “I want the person wearing them to feel comfortable, confident… I want people to go places in my clothing.” Because that’s not what these clothes conveyed.

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Davis has a fondness for Salvatore Ferragamo’s time in Hollywood, and this season’s inspiration came from Lola Todd, a star from the Jazz Age who was captured in nearly full leopard print. The image was placed on Davis’s backstage mood board alongside photos of flappers, men in zoot suits, and artwork by John Held Jr.

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The 1920s and 1930s offer plenty of inspiration for designers. Davis presented several changes, including one with a cuttlefish design on the front (which appeared stylish despite being abstract); low-waisted silk garments adorned with heavy sashes; and some impressive extended tailoring for men. However, Davis’s collections often rely too much on references, making them seem somewhat unrealistic. The standout pieces were at the end: a few slim, well-fitted, expertly tailored styles in patent leather. More, please.

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