September 29, 2025 |
Durazzi Milano’s SS26 outing, The Nymphs, opened with an atmosphere that felt more installation than runway. Steel cables suspended female nudes and vast neoclassical landscapes, their skies heavy with Caravaggesque drama, amid an otherwise empty off-white room. The effect was stripped and industrial, almost clinically so. And against this opposing backdrop, the clothes, designed by Ilenia Durazzi, confidently came to life as if ripped straight out of the paintings on display.
Tailoring was loosened and deconstructed: light jackets shrugged from menswear traditions, deep-cut vests sat against wide trousers, while beaten viscose parkas moved with unexpected fluidity. Leather played a central role – creased, studded, sometimes animal-printed – adding texture that bordered on tactile. A trench in ivory cotton, trimmed with leather at collar and strap, carried the uniform motif into something more malleable, less rigid.
Accessories drew the eye: stretch nappa gaiters with a fringe detail, riding boots softened by contrast, signature D-rings punctuating garments and studs – lots and lots of studs. Colour stayed grounded in muted greys and beiges, but flashes of scarlet and Animalia broke through the restraint. The standout look, a slate grey tailored suit swathed in silver chains, leaned into something a little more severe.
The collection spoke in quiet contrasts – rigour balanced with flow, craft meeting a sense of unruliness. Rather than retelling history, Durazzi’s nymphs appeared to inhabit it, folding past and present into a lived, wearable language.
Photography courtesy of Durazzi Milano.
