From Dsquared2’s 30th anniversary blowout to Prada’s investigation of femininity, here are the best shows from the Autumn/Winter 2025 season
Gucci
After Sabato de Sarno’s departure in February, the Gucci design studio helmed the house to create a collection embedded in Gucci’s heritage, described by them as “a continuum of craft, taste, and culture that passes through time.” Accordingly, the looks revisited key moments from the house’s history – 1960s pussy-bow blouses and silk scarves, 70s-inspired rhinestone-embellished velvet jumpsuits, and nods to the house’s legacies under both Alessandro Michele and Tom Ford. Notably, Gucci Green made a return – the studio even took its bow in matching green sweaters – the counterpart to De Sarno’s ‘Ancora’ red in Gucci’s signature webbing details. This was not to erase his recent tenure, but rather to realign it with Gucci’s vast past, and prime the house for its next creative director.
Dsquared2
To celebrate 30 years of Dsquared2, Dean and Dan Caten didn’t hold back with their over-the-top show-turned-spectacle. Set against a neon-lit New York fantasy, complete with vintage limos and iconic yellow taxis, the show kicked off with a cash-slinging performance from Doechii, before a parade of gleeful archetypes, and stereotypes of all types. Cowboys, showgirls, dominatrix cops – those characters came straight out of a hedonistic 3am fever dream. It was pure glitz, kink and chaos in a way only Dsquared2 can do. The twins brought in Magliano, Vaquera, Ducati, and other brands to reimagine pieces from their archives. And for the grand finale, Brigitte Nielsen – dressed as a cop – playfully arrested the twins, only for them to break free and kick off their raucous birthday after-party.
Marni
The canvases lining Marni’s HQ hinted at Francesco Risso’s latest collection – born from a month-long residency where the designer created freely with Nigerian artists Olaolu Slawn and Soldier Boyfriend. “We were like a pack of happy wolves, we really dared to dream,” said Risso backstage, and indeed, a wolf appeared, feeding on the fabric of a lush red suit. Set to a live score by Dev Hynes, the collection dreamed up texture and proportion. Faux fur and shearling plumped necklines, silk dresses cascaded into plissé skirts; yellows, blues, and browns made sense in a way only Risso can conjure. And to top it all off, the actor Tracee Ellis Ross made a triumphant runway turn.
Prada
“We asked ourselves – what is feminine?” said Mrs Prada after her and Raf Simons’ convention-defying show. The collection explored glamour – not in its commonly accepted sense, but, as the show challenged, why should outdated ideas continue to gatekeep it? Shapeless wool shift dresses allowed the figure to form rather than conform; raw, unfinished hems implied a work in progress – a rejection of toxic perfection. Shoes and bags bore deliberate scuffs, crumples pressed into shirting, hair left artfully undone – a beautiful mess only Prada and Simons could orchestrate. As Simons put it, “Within feminine beauty, when you think of its archetypes, there are lots of restrictions of the body – here, it’s free.” For Prada, change isn’t about destruction but intelligent subversion.
Diesel
The fantastical backdrop – 3.2km of fabric tagged by 7,000 art students from around the world – set the tone for what was perhaps Glenn Martens’ most ingenious Diesel collection to date. The designer mischievously described the collection as “Coco Chanel goes to Balmoral and gets trashed on sherry” – a funny sentiment unravelling in a raucous remix of bouclé tweeds. Jackets, skirts, and, of course, cheeky bumster shorts came cut from tweed and printed illusions, warping the fabric’s prim connotations into something more debauched. The collection disrupted fashion’s hierarchy in every sense: houndstooth jackets fit for the English elite clashed with low, low-slung denim straight out of 90s street culture – always playing together in garment and silhouette.
Versace
Rumours of the brand’s potential purchase by a slew of suitors loomed over Versace’s A/W25 show, adding extra emotional weight to a collection charged with both memory and momentum. Staged in an abandoned train depot in northern Milan, Donatella Versace reaffirmed her vision in a personal Instagram post: “I love clothes to empower, to give strength and confidence ... I am not following any rules. Only the rules of the Versace DNA.” The show opened with a plush opera coat and gowns crafted from Versace Home textiles – Donatella has a cheeky reverence for her house’s own codes. But she looked equally to the future with 3D-printed bustiers, dresses, and skirts. A pair of unravelling metallic gowns from her 1998 Atelier Versace debut resurfaced alongside a timeless house icon: the chainmail dress.
Ferragamo
Maximilian Davis’s A/W25 collection for Ferragamo unfolded like a Pina Bausch performance (his primary inspiration this season): the runway, thick with red rose petals, fluttered underfoot, evoking the late choreographer’s Der Fensterputzer, where dancers writhe in fields of poppies. Flowers appeared throughout – adorning sandals and cascading from mesh dresses. Davis balanced oversized tailoring, reminiscent of Bausch’s off-duty uniform, with fluid jersey cuts designed for movement. His fascination with the 1920s surfaced not in nostalgia, but in surrealist gestures – the house’s Hug bag was displaced across the body, transforming function into form. A palette of reds, flesh, and tan underscored the collection’s tactile sensuality, as Ferragamo’s codes continue to find a new rhythm in Davis’s hands.
Sportmax
A beloved Milan fashion week staple, this season Sportmax channelled dynamic energy, movement and speed. With breezy fringing cascaded from sleeves, hems, and oversized bags emphasised every move, the collection moved forward full-throttle, yet it remained paced with extra-slouchy, extra-high leather boots. While the brand’s signature double-wool tailoring kept things structured, the finale took a plush turn – faux shearling coats cut with a croc pattern, adding a last dose of indulgence. And on every seat was a mantra written by a member of the design team, extolling the power of the hand.
Tod’s
Upon entering Milan’s PAC Contemporary Art Pavilion, guests were met by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy wrapped in a recycled leather blanket by artist Nelly Agassi and holding an oversized needle – a statuesque ode to Tod’s artisanal savoir-faire. “I wanted to emphasise the feel of the hand and make the surfaces eloquent,” said Matteo Tamburini, whose dimensional, tactile take on minimalism tapped into the textured works of Italian artists like Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana. This emphasis on materiality shaped the collection – brushed alpaca, smooth leathers, and ribbed melange knits revealed his sensitivity to textile. Yet texture was given fluency, particularly through streamlined outerwear – olive-green capes, brushed alpaca overcoats, and gently structured trench coats.
Fendi
For Fendi’s 100th anniversary, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the helm alone at her family’s house, staging a co-ed show that spanned generations. Set in a recreation of Fendi’s 60s salon-boutique in Rome, the collection surveyed the house’s past through the lens of “my personal memories – real or imagined,” Venturini Fendi explained. References were rarely literal, except for knit beanies with netting, a direct nod to founder Adèle Fendi. The momentous show opened with Venturini Fendi’s grandchildren walking in the same equestrian outfit she wore in Karl Lagerfeld’s 1966 show at six years old – a tribute to Fendi’s future generations - and closed with a standing ovation.
Loro Piana
Presented in the brand’s showroom, Loro Piana reaffirmed its status as the world’s premier purveyor of fine textiles. This season, the Loro Piana equestrian travelled from Argentina, through the Scottish Highlands, before arriving in Australia – home to the finest merino wool. Classic equestrian uniforms were reinterpreted with stately ease: riding capes, jodhpurs, Argentinian riding culottes, quilted jackets, and gilets – as wearable in the saddle as they are for lounging in front of a fire after a long ride. And, in the ongoing battle for the finest yarn, Loro Piana answered Zegna’s Vellus Aureum with ‘Royal Lightness’ – “both a yarn, blending silk and merino wool, and a fabric, woven from silk and cashmere.”
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana’s A/W25 collection was a love letter to the ‘cool girls’ – their favourite models off-duty: Vittoria Ceretti, Irina Shayk, Mona Tougaard. Perhaps a throwback to their early 2000s D&G sister line, the collection was more refined. “This is the mood, from the 2000s, but a little more high,” affirmed Gabbana. Daywear saw vintage t-shirts, slouched cargos, moto boots, and bodices with lace peeking through every look. As night fell, the models transformed – trading their laid-back layers for glitzy, embellished slip dresses and heels. And in true Dolce & Gabbana form, luxury was amplified: shearling swelled into fur coats, and a spectacular fringed – perhaps even tentacled – poncho stole the show.
