Milan Fashion Week: Day 3 – Max Mara, Prada, Moschino, and GCDS

BY Beatriz Leal

September 19, 2024

Check out the highlights from the third day of runway shows in Milan.

Max Mara presented “Science and Magic,” a collection inspired by Hypatia, a mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and teacher from fourth-century Alexandria. Sharp tailoring, shirts, long skirts, dresses, high-waisted pants and shorts, long sleeves, and wrapped shirt dresses appeared in neutral tones, as well as black and white stripes.

“Chaos theory tells us to expect the unexpected. In a collection predicated on geometry, precision, and articulation, there are impeccable linear fabrics—gabardines, drills, and haut de gamme denims—that lend themselves to engineering. Yet, there are also crumpled silks, permanently crisscrossed with random creases,” according to the brand’s notes.

Courtesy of FF Channel

In Prada’s spring/summer 2025 collection, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons explored the contrast between logic and unpredictability. “We exist in an era of extreme information, immersed in a constant stream of content. Our consumption of the infinite panorama offered by the internet is driven by algorithms, finite sequences of instructions that circumscribe the decidable through logic in a fundamentally illogical world. If that interpretation posits an architecture of understanding, in contrast, humanity can be defined by its unpredictability, a rejection of the derivative and expected,” according to the brand notes.

Mixing elements from different eras, the collection featured Space Age cutouts, body-hugging knits, and playful accents like trompe l’oeil belts and cowboy boots. Bold accessories, such as bug-eye glasses and winged-heel pumps, added a futuristic touch to the runway as well.

Colors ranged from pink and silver to vibrant yellows, with pieces such as pleated skirt suits revamped with carabiner belts and silver bandeau tops. The collection combined classic Prada elements with modern sportswear touches, micro-minis, and ribbed leggings.

Courtesy of FF Channel

Adrian Appiolaza brought a playful and eclectic vision to Moschino’s spring/summer 2025 ready-to-wear runway, inspired by the late founder Franco Moschino’s signature humor. The collection featured clotheslines adorned with bedding, towels, and undergarments, setting the tone for a show full of humor and visual puns.

Opening with bustier gowns resembling white bedsheets, Appiolaza quickly moved through a mix of punk, grunge, bourgeois, cowboy, and biker styles. The collection included classic Moschino touches like polka dots, smiley faces, navy and logo belts, with colors ranging from black and white to baby pink, red, gray, yellow, and orange. Playful nods to Italy, such as Margherita pizza badges, were also presented.

Courtesy of FF Channel

GCDS presented its spring/summer 2025 ready-to-wear collection on a grass runway. When designing the collection, Giuliano Calza, the brand’s creative director, was inspired by “Flowers in Concrete” (his term for people who are resilient and determined, overcoming criticism and staying one step ahead).

The most iconic piece on the runway was a V-shaped bodysuit made of mesh and tulle. The collection featured a mix of textures, from sheer to fuzzy, with bubble mini skirts, bomber jackets with raw edges, draped skirts, and sheer lingerie pieces. GCDS’s spring/summer 2025 also included versatile windbreakers, track pants, and leather bombers.

Materials ranged from sheer fabrics, cutouts, leather, faux fur, tailoring, to mesh. The color palette consisted of black, brat green, white, lilac, beige, khaki, yellow, brown, pink, orange, and purple.

Courtesy of GCDS