Writers have always been fashion’s eternal muses. From Colette’s Parisian decadence to Joan Didion’s Céline ads, literature’s most celebrated voices have found their influence in many different aspects of the fashion industry. Designers like Antonio Marras often borrow their words, tales and energy. Known for his continuous dedication to bringing storytelling into his brand, Marras has built a legacy on using fabric as a means of communicating a feeling, memory or narrative.
For SS26, Marras doesn’t just reference writers; he hosts them. The collection is framed by a set of show notes written like a novel or letter. In them, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, DH Lawrence, and Frieda von Richthofen are conjured to Sardinia.
Below, we break down all you missed from the show.
The SS26 show took place in Milan and transported its audience into a private library, with towering stacks of books not just as décor, but as a testament to Marras’ enduring fascination with writers as muses.
THE COLLECTION HAD MULTIPLE CHAPTERS
Courtesy of Antonio Marras
Looks came like chapters. Lilac, ecru, faded black, copper, alongside soft, dusted tones. Then plum, bronze, and chocolate crashing in. Fabrics went maximal: jacquard, lace, damask, pinstripes, florals scattered like pressed flowers between pages. Silhouettes swung between ease and theatre. Hollywood diva robes, Poirot-style dressing gowns, slick tailoring, cocktail dresses, pyjama suits. Men and women in the same cloth, flipped in different ways. Denim and leather spliced with hand-embroidery so delicate it looked like watercolour.
THE ACCESSORIES CELEBRATED MARRAS’ SARDINIAN HERITAGE
Courtesy of Antonio Marras
Accessories doubled as footnotes. Bags and shoes embroidered like marginalia, tapestry textures pulled straight out of Sardinian living rooms. Elsewhere, models carried books and small pianos, helping to bring to life his Sardinian literary vision.
Head to the gallery above to check out more looks from the collection.