Mix and match at Prada_ joyful colour at Fendi

Italian fashion house Prada juxtaposed military-style shirts with bell skirts and elegant evening gloves in a collection Thursday intended to shake up traditional notions of glamour.

Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons returned once again to the theme of uniforms in their spring/summer 2026 show at Milan Fashion Week_ but with an eye to deconstructing traditional outfits.

Simons said the collection was a "recomposition" of clothes to make the wearers feel more free_ with the fabric barely touching the body in some places.

Fake uniform-style pockets were added to the front of a dress with a soft skirt_ and boiler-suit style jumpsuits were matched with heels and a silky black jacket.

There were brassieres worn loose without the traditional support_ skirts suspended from the shoulder and dresses lifted at the hem to reveal a fuller fabric underneath.

Speaking to reporters backstage_ Simons said it was an "anti-sculptural approach".

"A woman can feel amazing and free and chic and luxurious in a uniform as much as in a flowy dress_" he said.

He added: "The clothes are also very interchangeable_ you can wear them in a lot of different ways."

Prada_ the 76-year-old who reigns over her family's luxury goods empire_ said they were "trying to build a new kind of elegance".

The day before at Fendi_ another storied Italian brand_ Silvia Venturini Fendi focused on soft_ sensual shapes and joyous colours in what the label called "nonchalant elegance".

There were scrunched balloon hem jackets_ tiered skirts_ sheer organza shirts -- for him and for her -- and matching silk cable knit tops and skirts.

As befits a label that began in leather and fur_ bags took centre stage_ with one structured out of beads in a floral motif echoed elsewhere on the clothes.

"It's about a relaxed and colourful sense of ease with a romantic elegance_" Fendi said in the show notes.

"Simple gestures with complex work behind them."(AFP)