The biggest Autumn/Winter 2025 moments from Milan Fashion Week and Pitti Uomo

Milan Fashion Week was a little lighter on the ground this season, with the likes of Fendi and Gucci opting for co-ed shows to be staged during womenswear fashion week in February. That being said there was still plenty on offer. Zegna, Giorgio Armani, Saul Nash, Prada and Dolce & Gabbana kept the fashion pack on their designer-clad toes with big runway shows, while Pal Zileri, Canali and Ralph Lauren Purple Label presented their collections via presentation format.

But before all of that there was Pitti Uomo, where Brunello Cucinelli and MM6 Margiela presented their collections. With big trends coming out of the two cities - fur and bold outerwear - it was a mighty start to the Autumn/Winter 2025 show season.

Below are the highlights...

Alessandro Sartori understands what Zegna is about. He joined the house in 1989, took a five year stint at Berluti in 2011, and then rejoined the family-run Italian luxury giant Ermenegildo Zegna Group as artistic director in 2016. His Autumn/Winter 2025 collection is titled “Vellus Aureum,” which references the ultra-lightweight wool fleece which has a world record for its lightness. This was reached in 2023 with a fineness of 9.4 microns, and inspired the wool-heavy collection.

Staged in an arena filled with the sound of sheep and grassy manmade hills, the collection boasts some of Sartori's finest work. Shirts made from ultralight wool could be mistaken for cotton, while Sartori's oversized silhouette was carried across suiting, herringbone coats and billowing trousers. Among the seriousness of craft, however, there was playfulness. “In this collection items are...spontaneously mixed...in the name of Italian style," said Sartori of the collection, and high-waisted trousers were paired with unexpected knits for unusual silhouettes.

Raf Simons and co-creative director with Miuccia Prada presented the latest Prada collection at the Fondazione Prada’s Deposito space. Scaffolding soared into the sky within the showspace, while the runway was adorned with an eccentric-looking Old World carpet.

The collection was intensely primitive, which was a reference to the rise (which in the co-designers' opinion is a bad thing) of AI, and the show notes suggested that it was a discourse on "human nature, basic instincts, as a tool for fundamental human creativity." Eclecticism ruled, and coats were adorned with fur and suits were patchworked in leather. Cowboy boots were upturned and overcoats were worn over fur bibs, in a overturning of historic elegance. ‘This is our move towards humanity,’ Mrs Prada said backstage.

Canali drew inspiration from its Brianza roots, an area renowned for luxury furniture craftsmanship, and this translated in a collection of fine knits, expertly crafted outerwear and multiple fabrics: bouclé and donegal tweed create three-dimensional effects while freccia patterns recur as quilting on leather blousons. Thick knitwear in hues of pink and grey, are intended for wear as outerwear, while Losanghe taken from inlay floors become jacquards on pullovers and scarves, highlighting the aforementioned furnishing inspiration.

Tailoring, as ever with the Italian brand, was firmly at the centre of things. But Canali gave its suiting a modern twist, and it fell lighter and looser than in previous seasons, subtly redefining elegance as we know it from the label.

Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce staged a show fit for the paps. Titled "Paparazzi", models including Brit boy wonder Kit Butler walked out to camera flashes and down a red carpet, nodding to Dolce and Gabbana's longtime reign on the actual IRL scarlet carpets at award ceremonies and film premieres the world over.

The Autumn/Winter 2025 collection was inspired by Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, a film in which the word ‘paparazzi’ was first coined. Tuxedos were adorned with crystal brooches and sparkling buttons, while the rest of the collection gave Hollywood star energy with big fur coats, slouchy Noughties jeans not amiss to those seen on the likes of Jamie Dornan and Keira Knightley, and plenty of A-lister sunglasses. Sophie Jordan, Menswear Buying Director at Mytheresa said "the show was lighthearted and just fun, watching the front row having a good time is also part of the experience. Highlights for me were the brown velvet three-piece suit and the OTT leopard coat."

Dunhill creative director Simon Holloway is on a one man mission to reinvigorate classic codes of Britishness. While spectators sat on round tables adorned with cucumber sandwiches, models waltzed around them in wide-lapelled overcoats and high-waisted trousers.

Meanwhile proper English tailoring, cut from pinstriped wool, was notably inspired and reminiscent of the 1930s London Cut or English Drape suit, which was waist-cinched, yet louche and loose-shouldered. Meanwhile stoic lounge suits in black velvet and perfectly plain midnight blue, midnight green and all-black barathea reference Holloway's DNA and Dunhill's "131-years of tailoring finesse."

Elsewhere the collection presented the richness of winter clothes for town, and Donegal tweeds artfully clash against velvet for day and subtle combinations of British windowpanes, gun club, tattersall and glen-checks were used on blazers, car coats and driving jackets.

Held at Milan’s Palazzo Serbelloni, the Autumn/Winter 2025 collection fused timeless elegance with a modern fluidity, which was echoed in the Julie Bruyère’s choreography for a set of dancers at the presentation.

Each wore tailoring and pieces from the collection, which moved beautifully like water, despite being expertly tailored. This was evoked throughout the collection, with relaxed tailoring silhouettes comprising shawl collared jackets and roomy trousers, worn with vests, soft tailoring, and an interlay of fabrics across all clothing.

Down at Milan’s Teatro Armani, Mr Armani presented his Autumn/Winter 2025 collection for his Emporio Armani line, which he titled "Seductive". “Seduction is also a place: intimate, refined and atmospheric, like a club, a lounge or a conversation circle where time seems to slow," his show notes read. The youthful line, which launched 40 years ago as a counterpart to Giorgio Armani, struck a line between playful and sophisticated. Hats, which are a signature for EA, came in all shapes and sizes, from beret to baker boy to Japanese-inspired, while ties were bold and paired with super long coats.

Cardigans came cropped in a boyish way, while tuxedos were lengthened into coats. Meanwhile fabric was a topic of exploration, with thick, brushed and treated brocades and tapestries used on bomber jackets and long jackets. Seductive!

"Elegance to live in...Wearing Giorgio Armani as an exploration of possibilities rather than a pre-packaged formula." That's how Mr Armani described this collection, and that's what it was. Elegance for the modern man, whereby silhouettes were pyjama-like in fluidity and fabrics - merino wool, silk and cashmere - were soft to touch. "Softness reigns," Mr Armani said.

Across Giorgio Armani's signature louche tailoring, which was looser than ever, and sportier pieces like gilets and heavy leathers, a winter palette inspired by the undergrowth saw dominant shades of grey accented with jewel-like tones of ruby red, emerald green and jadeite blue was used.

For Autumn/Winter 2025 Tod's Creative Director Matteo Tamburini, who understands what modern men want, offered updated takes on familiar wardrobe staples in the brand's precious collections. The label's signature bomber and shirt jackets now come made from Pashmy leather, part of Tod's Pashmy Project, for a softer feel. Tod's classic earthy and neutral tones were used across the entire collection.

Shoe-wise the collection was focused heavily on the Gommino, presented in and array of styles from fine suede, soft Nappa, and hand-brushed leather. The Bubble variation and a newly refined City Gommino with a more modern shape, were key highlights.

Paul & Shark presented the Deauville Autumn/Winter 2025 Capsule Collection, a new chapter in the Riviera story that brings with it the emotions of this small Norman town and its sea, where time seems to have stopped in the Belle Époque. "The Deauville FW25 Capsule Collection is minimal-chic, perfect for leisure and designed for being worn at the seaside in winter," the show notes read.

Ideal for crisp autumn days by the sea, it's the sort of easy-to-wear collection that has come to define Paul & Shark, and make it so wearable as a brand. Dark brown, brushed peacoats and ribbed beanie hats are paired up with layered knits in caramel and grey and knit polo-shirts.

"A perfect balance between a past that represents heritage, skill, experience and characterization, and a present composed of renewal, a desire to set a new direction, aware of one's roots," read Slowear's show notes, reflecting the brand's desire to relabel all its sub brands (Zanone, Incotex etc) under one name: Slowear. "This rebranding process, which focuses on Slowear, is a natural and necessary step to consolidate our identity first and foremost, but also to communicate our values of authenticity more effectively and to better address market challenges," said Piero Braga, CEO of Slowear.

But the Slowear DNA was still evident. A bomber jacket in sage green was a highlight, while blazers were boxy and cut from tweed. The Earth Capsule comprised clothing made using refined dyes from natural powders extracted from minerals and sediments. The result is a responsible garment, enriched with a unique and original appearance. While a new Travel Pack capsule includes a selection of ‘urban cycling’ garments: everything hides a dual function, from a blazer with reflective details to elastic trouser straps that protect against being ripped or broken while pedalling.

Brunello Cucinelli is known for its rich offering of tailoring, but this season it got a little looser. Tailoring excellence meets more informal pieces, as casual style is elevated by artisanal details.

Elegant suits that make the brand so desirable to CEOs the world over are paired with colourful knitwear, while refined, quilted satin finished jackets are matched up with denim trousers and soft coats, complementing laid-back looks. In one instant a padded gilet, which is a signature for the brand and is cut in a taupe wool, is worn over a red velvet blazer.

Pal Zileri was founded in 1983 by Forall, a company established in 1970 in the province of Vicenza specialised in formalwear production. The English words "For" and "All" make up the brand name, and it wanted to make clothes for a broader audience. For Autumn/Winter 2025 Pal Zileri draws inspiration from the brand’s historical archive, jumping into the Forall archive, a repository of timeless pieces.

The brand’s historic lines, such as Vicenza and Brera, are combined to create a new versatile collection designed for a man seeking to combine his personality with a look that is timeless, yet contemporary. Beige and warm browns are mingled with bolder greens, while standout pieces include the iconic "Federico" hat in Marengo felt, which features a lagoon green lining, and surpemely Italian tailoring that is razor sharp in articulation, yet totally modern.

Now read all about the Spring/Summer 2025 collections from Paris

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