The 7 Trends Already Dominating Milan Fashion Week Fall 2020

Italy’s fashion capital is known for its sharp tailoring, leather goods and, of course, the best footwear in the world. With those tenets in mind, here are seven trends from Milan Fashion Week’s fall ’20 season that are already taking hold:

1. Serious neutrals

Brown may be the new black, but classic onyx and shades of gray also remain prevalent for the upcoming season. It seemed that nearly every collection had a foundation palette of neutrals, giving a more serious, intelligent bent to fall ’20’s view of womenswear. This was especially the directive of Miuccia Prada, who once again explored ideas of the masculine-feminine with somber tones and delicate touches here and there.

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2. Outdoor luxe

It’s not just Gucci and Prada taking a page from outdoor brands this season. Even independent shoe designers were thinking about how to better cater to all of the footwear needs of their clients, come rain, snow or what-have-you. At Aquazzura, Edgardo Osorio made fuzzy shearling ankle boots very chic, along with some practical wear-every-day black lace-up, knee-high combat boots. Brunello Cucinelli did a super luxe take on a hiking style boot, while Casadei’s thigh-high stretch puffer boots will fit right in with the Aspen crowd.

3. Power puff girls

Turns out, puffy sleeves may not be just a fleeting red carpet trend. At Max Mara, sportier outerwear was given a puff with a drop sleeve, while the majority of Fendi’s collection experimented with different kinds of puffed sleeves, from sculpted bell shapes to sheer black boudoir blousons.

4. Off the chain

Or rather, everyone is on the chain for fall ’20, a continuing trend for the year set in motion last year by Bottega Veneta’s mesh chain pumps. The entirety of Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s tenth anniversary collection for No. 21 focused on a large chain link motif that was seen on sweaters, bags, collars and most importantly, clinking heavily on wool pumps and leather flats. Alberta Ferretti also had plenty of chain link jewelry and hardware. Meanwhile, Casadei introduced an entirely new logo, the C-Chain, devoted to the iconic chain link motif it has used for decades.

5. Sweet child o’ mine

Tender (and, yes, subversive) touches of childlike clothing were certainly at the forefront of both the women’s and men’s fall ’20 collections for Gucci. But Alessandro Michele was not the only designer thinking about kid proportions. There were also super short leather and plaid pinafores at Tod’s.

6. The meme-worthy mini bag

That teeny-tiny Jacquemus bag continues to reverberate throughout the handbag ecosystem. At Moncler, Richard Quinn’s quilted and patterned looks included spherical bags, while Moschino’s Marie Antoinette-themed show had croissant and cake bags.

7. Fuss-free knee (boots)

Forget all those embellishments, embroidery, sequins and fringe from season’s past. The new knee boot is all about a clean slate of rich leather destined to last a lifetime. Bella Hadid modeled a strong one at Tod’s, while Jil Sander’s version had either a simple heel cutout or subtle folds and pleats.