10 (eclectic) shoes for S/S 2027 from the Milan catwalks
If one clear thought emerges from the catwalks of Milan Fashion Week for spring/summer 2027, it is the definitive retirement of the ‘dictatorial trend’. Milanese fashion does not impose a single aesthetic, a dominant colour or one silhouette; instead, it becomes a great choral narrative in which the plurality of languages and the individual’s complete freedom of interpretation triumph.
This season confirms that the big fashion houses would rather offer tools and visions than rigid rules. A case in point is Gucci’s approach, whose multifaceted aesthetic sums up the moment perfectly: there is no single woman or single style but – as the house itself suggests – there are ‘many Guccis’, each the expression of an identity that is free, multifaceted and resistant to labels: the chic lady, the rebellious girl, the sexy woman, and so on. Clothing is no longer a uniform, but a mirror of the wearer’s personality.
At the same time, Dolce & Gabbana makes a highly evocative choice by reopening the trunks of Sicilian memory. This is not simple nostalgia or a mere trawl through the archive, but an invitation to a personal journey. Garments from the past, rich in history, lace and tailoring, are offered to the wearer like pieces of a jigsaw that each person is free to reassemble according to their own sensibility. Memory thus becomes a living, malleable material, leaving the onlooker with the task – and the privilege – of contextualising and reinterpreting the brand’s stylistic heritage.
The common thread in Milan is, therefore, the absence of a common thread. The shows and presentations for the coming summer season celebrate the wardrobe as an open space and the act of getting dressed as an exercise in self-awareness. The real trend of the season is individuality: a strong message that puts the person back at the centre and turns the catwalk into a catalogue of endless expressive possibilities.
This same eclectic freedom of expression finds its most immediate form in footwear, concrete and tangible. If clothes trace the intention of the silhouette, shoes become the real anchor to the ground, the element that sets the tone, attitude and rhythm of every show.
Footwear between elaboration and minimalism
Confirming the absence of a single diktat is the simultaneous coexistence of opposite extremes. Some designers worked on simplification, lightening the upper as if it were a spider’s web (Bottega Veneta); others played with transparency through vinyl inserts (Giorgio Armani) and raffia netting (Scervino), or with textural effects achieved through crochet or the application of flowers, bows and feathers (Blumarine). Others still made the heel the focus of the shoe, creating veritable sculptures studded with stones or coloured buttons (Dolce&Gabbana).
From stiletto heels (Gucci, Fendi) or banana heels (Prada), we move to sculpted, slender wedges (Ferragamo) or chunky platforms (Moschino, Philippe Plein, The Attico) supporting sky-high, solid heels. As an alternative to court shoes and high-heeled sandals, there were also flat flip-flops (Missoni), flat slingbacks (Laura Biagiotti), lace-up ballet pumps (Etro), satin loafers (Giorgio Armani) or perforated leather ones (Tod’s), and sneaker boots (Marni, Onitsuka Tiger). The middle ground is occupied by kitten heels (Jil Sander, Marco Rambaldi, Prada) or mid-height, chunky heels (Marni). Here are 10 models from the Milan shows that underline the eclecticism of the coming summer season.
