A desire for a fresh start and a vague sense of nostalgia at Milan Fashion Week, Summer 2027

Yes, the trench coats in sheer organza or coated fabric, which frame the body without concealing it. Certainly, the short balloon skirts we haven’t seen for a good twenty years. Naturally, lingerie-style tops and corsets, and dressing gowns that are making their way onto the high street and creating an even greater impact thanks to La Perla’s return to the market and the fashion scene. The many beautifully cut jackets, Cucinelli’s incredible crochet work, the sand, brown and white colours one naturally expects for spring–summer collections, the linen beach dresses that are nevertheless well-constructed and flattering – see Luisa Spagnoli – and Silvana Armani, who brings cotton to the catwalk, unlike her uncle did, though not for the main line in any case. With rare exceptions, the summer 2027 fashion presented in Milan showcases the sort of wearability that the current economic climate demands: easy, accessible, with prices slightly scaled back (we’ve done our research; we’re not sure people will be happy to have overpaid for years on end). Yet what emerges most powerfully from the Summer 2027 Milan Fashion Week shows is a sense of nostalgia. Younger consumers are naturally oblivious to these references because they lack awareness of recent history, let alone trends from a generation ago; thus it is entirely comprehensible that Maria Grazia Chiuri, while presenting her new collection in an intimate setting—a collection that is both wearable and fresh while simultaneously evoking ‘how we used to be’ in earlier eras—recounts having to introduce her creative team, literally explaining who he was, Adriano Celentano—whom we regarded as a national treasure—only for enthusiasm for ‘Prisencolinensinainciusol’ to erupt on first listen, even amongst the brand’s Korean ambassadors.

At Cavalli, the iconic prints make a comeback; they’re still as fresh as ever. There have been happy summers, and hopefully there will be more to come; there are faces and names that must be celebrated, whose lessons cannot be forgotten – indeed, must not be forgotten – and so here is Agnese Zogla, Giorgio Armani’s most beloved model, who, among the first looks from the Summer 2027 collection, is wearing an exact replica of her First Communion outfit from the year of grace 1942, complete with white gloves and long trousers – and these were probably her first pair, as at the time well-bred children wore short trousers even in winter until they were eight or ten years old. There is a desire—or rather, a need—to return to contemplating the essence of the clothed body (“I like my body when it is with your body”, from Edward Cummings’ poem, which serves as the title for Fendi’s fashion show), and at the same time to look up at the stars. Rooted on Earth, with our gaze turned skywards: to feel lighter, like Marras’s joyful floral-print narrative. For his comeback – because competition in recent years has become so fierce that not everyone can afford to put on a show consistently, time and again – Massimo Giorgetti of MSGM has struck a deal with the Schifano Foundation and has, naturally, chosen its palm trees and stars. "I’m starting over from myself", 1983.