Dolce & Gabbana leaned heavily into theatrical misdirection on the second day of Milan fashion week, using its signature “molto sexy” aesthetic to draw attention away from its debt issues, catwalk controversies, and management reshuffles. The SS27 menswear show, held on Saturday, featured clingy muscle vests, micro shorts that made short shorts look modest, and several topless models. Jeans were ripped, shredded, or smothered in sparkling jewels, while T-shirts displayed giant prints of Sicilian lemons, ancient amphitheatres, and a mosaic depiction of Christ.
First Show Since Controversies and Resignations
This was the brand’s first menswear collection since its disastrous all-white casting earlier this year, adding to its long list of controversies. It also marked the first show since Stefano Gabbana stepped down as chair. In March, it was announced that Gabbana had tendered his resignation last December as chair of the company he co-founded with his then-partner Domenico Dolce in 1985. In January, as part of the reshuffle, former Gucci chief executive Stefano Cantino was appointed co-chief executive, working alongside Alfonso Dolce, a brother of Domenico. Gabbana’s role as co-creative director remains unaffected.
Navigating a £391m Debt Pile
In a turbulent luxury market, the fashion house is navigating a £391m debt pile. This week, reports emerged that, as part of negotiations with creditors, the brand is considering a potential sale and leaseback of several properties it owns in the city. While the brand continues to dominate red carpets during award season—with fans including Colman Domingo, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Ryan Gosling—a wider luxury slump has left it struggling. Saturday’s show reminded fans of what the brand does best: excess.
Paul Smith Highlights the Suit’s Resurgence
Later in the day, British designer Paul Smith, who has been showing in Milan since 2025, homed in on his specialty: suiting. Backstage, Smith credited the suit’s resurgence to young people not wanting to dress like Gen X. “A lot of our customers grew up with their dads wearing hoodies during the pandemic,” Smith said. “Those kids are now 18-25 years old and don’t want to look like their dad. They want to smarten up.”
Harry Styles as a Trendsetter
Smith pointed to Harry Styles, who has shifted from flamboyant on-stage outfits to pared-back tailoring and ties for his latest Together Together tour, as embodying the trend. Smith, who turns 80 next month, said his younger team had dug out 80s and late 90s catwalk tailoring references from his Nottingham-based archive, which holds more than 5,000 of his pieces.
Relaxed Tailoring and Perceived Value
“The suit in many people’s heads means formality or funerals or weddings,” Smith said. “A lot of what we try to do is show how it can be more relaxed so we roll the cuffs up, or pop the collar up or style the shirts untucked.” On the catwalk, there were unbuttoned waistcoats and shirts offering a glimpse of flesh. Smith, who still works in his Albemarle Street store in London on Saturday afternoons, described his suits as “being a bit different” and having “perceived value,” pointing to pad stitching that ensures the fabric curves around the body, lightweight fabrics that don’t crease easily, and quirky details such as crocodile eye buttons and lapel pins riffing on everything from teaspoons to sardines.
