Spotted in Milan: 5 Stylish Autumn Trends the City's Best-Dressed Are Wearing Now
I've spent the past week street-style spotting in Milan. These are the five chicest autumn trends I saw in the city.
Home to Prada, Bottega Veneta and Fendi, Milan has some serious fashion credentials. The city has long been a breeding ground for some of the industry’s most influential designers, and when Fashion Week rolls around, the creativity that runs through the city year-round reaches another level. With the world’s best-dressed descending on Milan, excellent outfits are pretty much guaranteed.
Of the “Big Four” Fashion Weeks, Milan has always struck me as the most glamorous. There’s a little more drama, polish and, yes, glitz to the way its fashion crowd dresses, which makes street style spotting particularly fun. After spending the week keeping an eye on the best looks outside the shows, I’m here to report back on the trends that are really taking hold in Milan right now.
From the skirt silhouette that’s having a particularly big moment in Italy to the non-boring neutral I spotted everywhere, these are the five Milan Fashion Week street style trends worth knowing about now.
5 Milan Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Copy Now:
1. Whispy Skirts
Style Notes: Few trends have made as much of a splash in Milan this Fashion Week as the pencil skirt. But among the sea of knee-grazing, streamlined styles, one particularly chic iteration kept catching my eye: gauzy skirts.
Whether it was an opaque pencil skirt finished with a wraparound layer of tulle or an entirely sheer style, transparent style, gauzy elements were woven through some of the best looks I spotted on Milan’s streets, adding a little movement and softness to what could otherwise be a very polished, prim silhouette.
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The pale blue colour trend isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
This also comes in five other shades.
2. Cummerbunds
Style Notes: Borrowed from the boys, wraparound, waist-cinching cummerbunds made a surprisingly strong showing among Milan’s street style crowd this week. Traditionally used to bring structure to formal menswear and tuxedo dressing, the glossy waistband is being given a more relaxed fashion-person spin.
I spotted them worn over blazers to cinch in the waist, as well as in place of a belt with jumpers and trousers on repeat this week.
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Add a pop of colour to your autumn rotation.
Style this with trousers or pair with a trending pencil skirt.
The royal purple colour trend isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
3. Pink Shirts
Style Notes: Whilst a classic button-down remains a Milanese wardrobe essential, I noticed that many of the best-dressed attendees had swapped their usual gleaming white styles for a pink version instead.
An easy wardrobe switch, pink shirts bring colour and energy to an otherwise classic outfit, looking particularly good with tailored trousers or blue jeans. If the white shirt is starting to feel a little predictable, this might be the update to try.
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Sub this in for a white shirt to instantly elevate your look.
Whilst I love this in pink, it also comes in light blue.
Layer this over a white tee or style on its own.
4. Polo Shirts
Style Notes: Sorry, T-shirts. Goodbye, tank tops. Polo shirts are shaping up to be the Milanese fashion person’s casual top of choice this season.
I spotted the sporty staple worn with everything from skirts to trousers and jeans, bringing a slightly preppy energy to otherwise polished looks. After seasons of the humble tee dominating off-duty dressing, the polo feels like a much fresher way to approach the everyday basics in your wardrobe.
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This also comes in two other colourways.
This is such a chic alternative to a classic crew-neck knit.
Trust me, you'll reach for this lightweight knit multiple times a week.
5. Chunky, Colourful Scarves
Style Notes: As temperatures dip, Milan’s fashion crowd is already trading the lightweight cotton scarves that completed so many summer looks for chunkier, wind-proof wool styles.
Brightly coloured and generously wrapped around the neck, these scarves offer an early hint at what’s coming for autumn/winter dressing. So, if you’re in the market for a new scarf, this is your sign to skip the neutrals.
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Shop the scarf Milanese fashion people are obsessed with.
The cashmere composition ensures a cosy finish.
Bundle up in style.
