The Best Milan Men's Fashion Week Moments You Missed Amidst The Dolce & Gabbana Controversy

Fashion season is finally upon us, and almost as if it were a sign of the times, Milan Fashion Week descended with its own load of political commentaries and controversies. On one hand we have Dolce & Gabbana being slammed for casting only white models for a collection brashly titled “The Portrait Of Man” (there were a hundred looks in this collection, for context). On the other, there’s Prada, who tried to make a commentary on the uncertainty of the world we live in today by styling pieces that would generally be considered incongruent to each other. Did they make something out of their visit to Maharashtra to study the Kolhapuris and improve upon their error last year? Not yet, but at least they don’t seem to be appropriating any culture (yet). There is, however, a lot of talk about how skinny every model on the runway was. More so, the clothes were intentionally made very tight to make them seem even skinnier. Ozempic is upon us after all.

There was also much fanfare about Heated Rivalry actor Hudson Williams making his modelling debut at DSQUARED2, marking a full-circle moment since his waiter days when a customer mentioned in their food review that he should get into modelling. 

But all this is what you’ve heard about if you’ve been on the fashion side of social media lately. Here are the things from Milan Fashion Week that got drowned amidst all the fanfare:

Getting Ready For The Winter Olympics

Ralph Lauren was in an Olympic state of mind, looking ahead to the Winter Games beginning February 6 in Italy, where he will dress Team USA. His nods to alpine life came through Aspen-coded knitwear, patterned jumpers and a sharp blue ski suit cinched with turquoise. It was polished, familiar and confidently on brand, offering a more composed take on winter fantasy.

Dsquared2 took the icy theme a step further with Canadian actor Hudson Williams, known for playing a professional ice hockey player in Heated Rivalry. What followed was an army of holidaymakers dressed for subzero excess. Puffer jackets were sliced and reshaped into dress-like proportions, oversized parkas were piled high with XXL faux fur hats, and provocative footwear leaned hard into spectacle. 

Ralph Lauren Returned To Italy After 20 Years

After a 24-year absence, Ralph Lauren returned to Italy with a show staged at the Palazzo Ralph Lauren. The presentation brought together Purple Label and Polo on the same runway, allowing tailoring and new-generation ease to coexist. The setting did much of the talking, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing romance with European refinement while grounding it in lived-in elegance we have always known Ralph Lauren for.

DSQUARED2 Made Campy Boots Out Of Skiing Shoes

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Dsquared2 fully committed to the campy bit of the brand with the autumn-winter 2026–27 collection. The designer duo took ski and outdoor gear apart and stitched it back together through the brand’s exaggerated Y2K lens. Technical fabrics were twisted into bold silhouettes, and the standout footwear came in the form of flat, heel-less snow boots that looked engineered more for apres-ski drama than the slopes. 

Soshiotsuki Made A Case For Japanese Tailoring

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I will never not be a fan of the relaxed oversized suit styles that Japanese brands have mastered, and Soshiotsuki delivered on that expectation. From preppy nerds to corporate bosses and old-money mafias, this collection had a badass suit for every kind of man. 

Setchu Made Bags That Also Turn Into… Coats

Winner of the 2023 LVMH Prize, Setchu’s Satoshi Kutawa presented an interesting avant-garde moment when he took what seemed like a mini duffel bag, turned it inside out, and voila, you had an asymmetrical coat ready to wear on the runway.

Did You See The Rugs At Zegna?

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Zegna set a contemplative mood with a presentation that felt like a walk through the Zegna family household. Artistic director Alessandro Sartori transformed a Milan ice skating rink into an imagined, oversized wardrobe, grounded by exquisite Persian rugs scattered across the floor. At the entrance stood a jacket from 1930 once owned by founder Ermenegildo Zegna, preserved in glass opposite his desk. Models stepped out of this symbolic closet onto the rugs, the casting spanning ages, ethnicities and even a few women and children, reinforcing Sartori’s ongoing interest in versatility, wearability and clothes that live long lives.

Milan After Giorgio

This season also marks the first Milan Men's Fashion Week without Giorgio Armani, who passed away in September at the age of 91. His brand still held the show in Giorgio’s house, with Leo Dell’orco (pictured at the centre), Armani’s right-hand man and partner for the last 50 years, taking the helm of the Armani empire with his nephew, Gianluca Dell'orco. The two maintained the same design language that we have grown to associate with the brand, and also presented several women’s looks as well.