Pierre-Louis Mascia and Philipp Plein open Milan Fashion Week in style

After his debut on the catwalk in Florence last June, Pierre-Louis Mascia is making the big leap to Milan. Bet successful! The French designer captivated the public, who came in force on Friday, by inaugurating Milan Men’s Fashion Week with a sumptuous fashion show. Dark decor covered with large curtains, intense music, precious silhouettes with just a fragile candle held in their hand to light the models… All the elements came together to create a suggestive and totally exotic atmosphere, crossed by a vein that is both baroque and romantic , sometimes melancholy.

In this fall-winter 2025/26 collection for women and men entitled “Bright star”, the styles naturally merge between the Victorian era, the Italian Renaissance and exotic references to distant lands. The stylist, who was inspired by the English poet John Keats, thought of this wardrobe “like a visual poem”. Prints, textures and colors delicately collide to create a coherent chromatic whole. Tapestry shawls with long fringes are layered over silk pajama sets or bathrobe coats with velvet lapels, whose designs seem faded by time.

Large silk scarves are tied diagonally, gently hugging the body over a cardigan or polo shirt. Ink landscapes, typical of the 19th century, are sketched at the bottom of a jacket and pants in a gradient blue-gray. Patchwork shirts alternate between fine-striped cotton and printed silk. Tartan, ethnic weavings, floral tapestries, stripes… Everything intertwines with precision, while ribbons and trimmings redesign the jackets and edge the pants.

Tunics, skirts and coats are also fluid and enveloping. The clothes are comfortable, cut from soft and shimmering materials. The designer draws on the world of silk, but also uses wool, cashmere and double-faced cottons. The collection is also punctuated with beautiful red or black hussar-style officer jackets, as well as very British checked coats.

“I imagined a wardrobe for these somewhat sensitive or damaged characters, who manage to overcome challenges by transforming them into courage. This results in a more muted and more saturated palette. In a world where we have tendency to summarize colors, I tried to find more subtle, less flashy shades”, tells us Pierre-Louis Mascia, who is playing for next winter with golden browns, dark reds, antique blues.

Known for his ability to capture an image and bring it to life using different designs, periods, patterns and shades, which once assembled together seem obvious, the Toulouse designer can count on his partner, the silk printer of Como, Achille Pinto, who creates his daring collages, each time using new techniques, the result of constant research. This collection is further proof of this with these incredible printed effects of devoré velvet or quilted fabric.

“I wanted to come and show in Milan to fit into a new setting, after years of presence at the Pitti Uomo show. This allows us to recall our origins since Achille Pinto is in Como. The show is also the most direct way to show my world to the direct consumer and how, once worn, the clothes fit together well”, explains the designer, who notes that since his June show, “it is the complete outfits which have sold the best “.

This first day in Milan ended with a show full of energy from Philipp Plein, who made his return to the men’s calendar on this occasion. To mark the occasion, the German stylist invited his guests to the hotel he has just opened in the center of Milan. More precisely in one of its four restaurants, the Philipps, all mirrors, neon lights and large chandeliers, Las Vegas style.

It’s the rapper French Montana, who opens the parade by setting the tempo, wearing a black leather jacket where the Plein logo sparkles in crystals on his back. It didn’t take long for the models to arrive, roaming the room between the rows of tables and armchairs, where the guests were seated. The dim lights create a club atmosphere. Black glasses, dark suits, embroidered tuxedo jackets worn bare-chested (with guaranteed effect when fully tattooed) or over a wise turtleneck in total black or white looks… The style is rock, certainly!

Even if he maintains his “maximalism”, the designer is evolving his wardrobe towards greater sobriety. “There are more couture pieces and less streetwear, with noble materials like silk, beautiful wools and cashmere, but also technical sports fabrics and different denim treatments. It’s more sought-after,” he tells us. Philipp Plein, who knows how to skillfully mix genres.

Thus, a black jacket is decorated with patches and combined with a sweatshirt and a cap. The jacket in shearling worn over a jacquard pullover, an elegant gray tartan coat worn with loose pants in soft wool that look like jogging pants. The long white cashmere coat is worn over a pair of jeans.

Here, a side braid runs along the legs of a pair of pants and the sleeves of a jacket. There, sequins are embedded on a plaid overshirt. Luxurious details are sprinkled throughout the collection, but remain discreet, while the palette favors neutral colors. Ultimately, Philipp Plein’s wardrobe for next winter offers a whole series of wearable pieces that are fully in line with the trend for quiet luxury.