(and Why I’m Shelving the Menswear for a Moment)
Video from Fashion Feed on Youtube
I usually write about menswear.
Suits. Silhouettes. And yes, a bit of womensplaining - because I enjoy it, and frankly, somebody should.
But this time, Etro made me switch lanes.
After watching the Etro AW26 show at Milan Fashion Week, I quite literally ran to my laptop to write about it. I’m still slightly mesmerised.
When I think of Etro, I think of summer. Floaty dresses. Resort energy. Effortless bohemia.
Yet this collection proved that the same spirit works just as powerfully in winter.
Under the direction of Marco De Vincenzo, the house continues to explore its archive - without becoming nostalgic. The heritage is there, but it feels alive. AW26 was rich, layered and deliberate. Never chaotic.
This wasn’t just “boho chic”.
It was maximalism with control.
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| Pht: Show Studio |
The Paisley, Reworked
Paisley is Etro’s signature. That hasn’t changed. And it shouldn’t.
At this point, it’s a symbol of luxury - not quiet luxury, not loud luxury either. Just the right kind. Confident luxury.
This season it was:
- Oversized
- Distorted
- Textured
- Set in muted jewel tones
Less festival.
More private gallery opening in Mayfair.
If you’re watching the evolution of modern bohemian luxury, this is it.
Tailoring That Grounds the Romance
What made the collection work was structure.
Relaxed blazers.
Trousers that skimmed rather than clung.
Waists defined, but never restrictive.
There was a subtle menswear discipline running beneath the prints and textures - which, naturally, I appreciated.
It gave the collection weight. Without killing the romance.
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| Pht: Show Studio |
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| Pht: Show Studio |
Texture Over Excess
Instead of shouting, the clothes relied on fabric.
Heavy jacquards.
Velvet.
Dense silks.
Metallic thread woven quietly into the surface.
Up close, the craftsmanship did the talking.
And in a season where everyone is celebrating “the return of colour”, Etro handled it with restraint - burnt saffron, moss green, antique gold, deep ochre. Earthy. Confident. Grown-up.
Not trend-driven.
Enduring.
Why It Worked
Etro AW26 proves that fashion doesn’t need to be minimal to feel elegant.
It can be patterned. Layered. Historical.
As long as it’s intentional.
There was emotion in this show - but also editing.
That balance is rare.
For the men reading: I’ll be back to brogues and blazers next week.
But for now, I’m staying here.
In Etro’s textured, intelligent, slightly chaotic world.
And honestly?
It suits me.