As the opening act of the year’s fashion calendar, Milan’s men’s shows are tasked with setting the pace for the season to come, and for AW24 they didn’t disappoint. Sabato De Sarno headed to a stark warehouse for his first Gucci men’s show, presenting a sleek collection that mirrored its women’s offering, with the added bonus of some pull-to-go-tighter ties. The Catens then upped the ante at DSquared2, where twin models transformed before our very eyes and Dean stomped the runway in a slinky drag finale. Then it was off to Prada, where Mrs. P and Raf presented their boundlessly creative take on office wear, followed by a trip to the cinema at JW Anderson, for a Kubrick-inspired homage to Eyes Wide Shut. And while the mammoth brands dominated the headlines, the new(er) kids on the block also made their mark: British-Italians Jordanluca invited Andreas Kronthaler to walk their birthday blow-out in a Milanese tomb, while Andersson Bell set to the skies and bundled all their models out a plane. For everything else you might’ve missed, check out the round-up below.

FENDI QUEENED OUT

“A Fendi life is one lived between town and country,” read the shownotes mailed out before the label’s AW24 menswear show. And who better to emblemise this laissez-faire lifestyle than a British royal? As soon as the first look hit the catwalk, traces of our late Queen Liz were everywhere, from the waxed jackets and pleated skirts to the checked wool and Wellington footwear. All that was missing was some Baboushka-style head scarves and a couple of corgis running about. But what could Silvia Venturini Fendi possibly be trying to hint at? The creative director is famously one of the last Fendis standing at the family firm, so maybe she’s commenting on the undying spirit of the matriarch? Or maybe she just really likes The Crown? After the show, however, all was revealed, and Fendi let slip that it was actually Princess Anne’s appearance at last year’s coronation that inspired her show. Not sure if Anne is a Fendi girlie, but who knows? We might see her in the next campaign.

IT WAS RUSH HOUR AT MSGM

This season at MSGM, showgoers took a trip underground to the Metropolitana di Milano, the Italian city’s 60-year-old subway line. The Porta Venezia station was the setting for Massimo Giorgetti’s latest offering at the house, where they used the 60th anniversary of the metro as a starting point for the AW24 collection. What looked like a giant red question mark down the first model’s overcoat turned out to be the metro’s curved handrails, designed by Franco Albini in 1964. A collaboration with the Franco Albini Foundation meant that the motif popped up at other points, pinned onto hoodies and coats as a little red brooch. Elsewhere in the collection, Giorgetti transferred the unpredictability of rush hour into its compelling clothes. Hoodies came in fuzzy silver with matching hot pants, while goggles were styled with feather boas; jeans were bejewelled from hip to hem, and you could almost hear the swoosh sounds effects emanating from the subway printed shirts.

DOLCE & GABBANA GAVE US LUXE+

This season, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana doubled down on the super luxe aesthetic they’ve been hawking in recent years, specifically since Kim Kardashian’s SS23 guest edit gave their label a bit of a refresh. It’s a far cry from the bells and whistles approach the majority of us remember from the 20-teens, when it sent a gaggle of YouTubers and influencers down its catwalks in warring prints. Now, high fashion faces like Alton Mason, Leon Dame, and Alex Schlab occupy its runways, this time in jet-black dinner suits, satin pussy-bows and knee-high riding boots. The designer duo may have told press that the collection was about “true elegance”, but it wasn’t all prim and proper for AW24. Cummerbands were repurposed and looped round necks as harnesses; sheer shirts were detailed in intricate lace; leather vests and slutty tank tops introduced a certain kind of man to the mix; and floor sweeping furs looked good enough to caress. Yes, this may have been a collection concerned with selling evening wear, but all the better for us that it came with a side helping of sex.

ZEGNA TOOK US TO A SANDPIT

Was it a sand dune? A pile of grated parmesan? No, it was *checks notes* fibres of Oasi cashmere falling from the heavens and piling onto the catwalk below. Made up of Zegna’s home-brewed blend of “100% traceable” cashmere, the huge mound was the centrepiece for the label’s AW24 show, symbolising the Oasi recycling process at its in-house mill. As Sampha, James Blake, and Mads Mikkelsen took their places on the pitch black frow, models appeared in camel-toned clothes, keeping with the cashmere dune that dwarfed them. These polo neck smocks and pristine leather jackets then gave way to waxed maxi coats and wool suits in black, before a section of deep-blue knits and a longline navy puffer swept in. A crisp white section came next, followed by another black one for the close, and outfits remained monochromatic throughout, much like the majority of Alessandro Sartori’s output since he took the helm in 2017. Rather than breaking trends, here it’s all about craftsmanship, timelessness, and building a wardrobe of essentials that last.