Milan Fashion Week: SS26 street style featuring minimalism and patterns

In Milan, gentlemen opted for large-scale patterns, but otherwise kept things classic and understated. The street-style looks for spring/summer 2026 are more pared-back and less dominated by loud streetwear.

The SS26 trends from the street are outlined here.

It-piece: Striped shirt

This direction was evident in the simple horizontally striped shirts dominating the streets of the Italian fashion capital. The greatest variation was in the thickness of the individual stripes, which were showcased in different shirt styles. Brown and blue with white were the key colour combinations. These were mostly styled with relaxed suit trousers.

Check pattern from top to toe

Alongside stripes, checks were also a popular pattern, with wearers enveloped in them from top to toe. Whether in the form of a voluminous coat, a more tailored suit or a two-piece shirt and loincloth, this was arguably the most versatile trend of Fashion Week.

Shirt and trousers co-ords

Instead of matching jackets and trousers, this summer it’s all about matching shirts and trousers. In Milan, several visitors sported matching two-pieces. The shirts were mostly casually cut with a relaxed lapel collar. Particularly with the silky versions, it gave the impression that the wearers were sporting their pyjamas outdoors. The pieces were mostly monochrome in white or grey, but some splashes of colour, such as burgundy, were also included.

Understated colour palette

Overall, the looks in Milan were not as vibrant. As seen in the collections at the Pitti Uomo menswear trade show last week in Florence, menswear increasingly focused on earthy tones, as has been observed for some time among casual wear providers. Shades of brown and green, beige and sandy colours like a light orange also dominated the street scene in Milan. This colour palette extends from casual looks to classic styles.

Slim scarves

One of the accessories making a comeback this season is the long, thin scarf, casually draped around the neck, akin to what was popular in the early 2010s. Whether plain or with a subtle pattern, visitors showcased various versions of the piece. These were mostly combined with monochrome garments in black, white or grey, allowing the scarf to take centre stage.

Short shorts

Despite the warm temperatures, long trousers were mostly on display. If visitors did opt for shorts, they followed the trend set by fashion house Prada, whose already short shorts have become increasingly shorter in its current collection. After wide and loose shorts, this pants option is now becoming shorter and tighter on the streets, but remain visible, unlike Prada’s current offering. The selection ranges from sporty styles to playful patterned versions and classic choices, rounded off with a leather belt.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com