Milan Fashion Week AW26: from Brunello to Zegna

THE ITALIANS never fail to deliver a season of menswear that is both sumptuous and considered. Of course, some years are stronger than others and some collections grab the imagination more than others. But the truth is, no one does it like the designers who showcase in Milan Fashion Week.

Count this year’s autumn/winter 2026 collections one of the strong ones. Colour has come back in lieu of quiet luxury’s quarter tones at Brunello Cucinelli and Zegna, while pragmatism continues to underpin collections at TOD’s. Two of the biggest shows of the week, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana, offered nothing less than tailored spectacle.

Check out the highlights from Milan Fashion Week below.

Brunello Cucinelli

One imagines to strolling in Brunello Cucinelli designs: it’s been the leisure uniform as of late. Classic Italian slow living. But autumn/winter 2026 calls his fans to action with a collection of military-inspired leather outerwear in furry collared aviator jackets, pleated-cargo trouser hybrids, multi-pocketed overcoats. Muted colours have been big this week, noticeably for designers who’ve made their empires off selling the luxury of a neutral colour palette. The brand gave theirs here with acts of layering, like a lavender jumper thrown over the shoulders of a cream suit.

It’s also the winter Olympics next month in Milan, no less, so the past week has been a display of established designers trying out hardcore winterwear. This also happens to be one of Cucinelli’s playing field, with the final two looks imagined on the slops, yet tailored enough to be the sharpest guys at après-ski.

Words Tyler Dane Wingco

Tod’s

The current direction that lifestyle brand TOD’s has taken feels like a balm. Current Creative Director Matteo Tamburini has been in the role for just over a year now and each new collection has felt more confident than the last.

For autumn/winter 2026, Tamburini highlighted the gestural intimacy of clothing. The way they are worn, layered, made personal. This pragmatic line of questioning, rather than attempting some philosophical play on what fashion is, gives rise to a collection that is wonderfully wearable. That Tamburini has done it without sacrificing a sense of fun is testament to his eye as a designer.

In lieu of a runway in Milan, the brand opted for presenting the collection in situ. Or rather a film, set at Villa Necchi Campiglio, where the collection appears in motion rather than on display. People arrive, sit, talk, move through rooms. The clothes follow along, quietly doing their job.

There is a touch more polish this season, but it never tips into formality for formality’s sake. Tailoring sits comfortably beside relaxed staples. A padded jacket turns out to be silk. A neat outer layer with countryside references is cut from double cashmere so light it feels barely there. Their Pashmy project, a suede leather so soft it has pashmina qualities shows up in clean, familiar shapes and works naturally with denim.

Words Benjamen Judd

Zegna

In several seasons where Zegna designer Alessandro Sartori has seemingly perfected the soft tailoring that’s since defined the post-pandemic world, his autumn/winter 2026 collection in Milan marked a vibe shift at the Italian brand he’s helmed for now a decade. Presented on ornate carpets in a grand foyer, the colours for this season were an array of jewel tones; different from spicy colours that have captured the sprezzaturra-maxxing gentleman’s imagination, this is a Pantone plate most notably seen recently with contemporary Japanese designers. Most pleasing throughout the tailoring in double-breasted jackets and overcoats was the placement of a third button, rendering the closure single-breasted. It’s a neat piece of trickery that wouldn’t make wearing the style single-breasted not a novice mistake at all – charming.

Words Tyler Dane Wingco

Dolce & Gabbana

Foregoing the chatter that occurred around the show’s casting and focusing on the clothes, this latest collection from the Italian duo was filled with energy. It was masculine and unashamedly sexy. It also happened to lean into Euro tropes, which took the edge of the seriousness.

Tailoring was sharp but relaxed, built to be mixed, layered and styled your own way rather than worn as a fixed look. Faux-fur coats, salt-and-pepper suits and slouchy trousers sat alongside biker jackets, velvet pieces and sharply cinched tuxedos, all carrying that familiar Italian confidence. It felt less about trends and more about character. Clothes designed to project presence, individuality and a very particular idea of modern masculinity that still starts, unapologetically, with great tailoring.

Shout out to local talent Jarrod Scott who closed the show.

Words Benjamen Judd

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