Within the lavish chambers of Palazzo Acerbi, Elisabetta Franchi’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection unfurls on the Milan Fashion Week runway. The 17th Century architectural jewel, once home to the ostentatious Marquis Ludovico Acerbi, was residence to noblemen and notoriety alike, and now, the Baroque beauty hosts a runway as audacious as it is unapologetically avant-garde. 

Courtesy of Elisabetta Franchi

For Italian fashion brand, Elisabetta Franchi, the self-empowered woman doesn’t just receive attention. She commands it. And in croc-embossed blazers and chiseled silhouettes, it would be quite a travesty not to.

“Every piece tells the story of a woman who challenges conventions with grace,” founder Elisabetta Franchi says in the collection notes, “never compromising her own power.” 

Courtesy of Elisabetta Franchi

The latest collection asserts that sensuality is not a sin, it’s an indulgence. Throughout the show, a defiant abundance rings true, as the Italian label presents a femininity both elegantly assertive and nonetheless provocative. The sleek minimalism of the ‘90s is fearlessly reimagined, as founder and creative director, Franchi, exerts her signature play on opposites, prompting a controlled vs. overt sexuality to play a game of voguish tug-of-war.

Courtesy of Elisabetta Franchi

Sharp silhouettes are sculpted on the body with precision, as exaggerated shoulders and waistlines stand as sensuous sartorial armor. Textures and fabrics formulate a beguiling interplay, glossy and sculptural shapes carousing with matte and voluptuous forms.

Courtesy of Elisabetta Franchi

Croc-embossed faux leather blazers and biker jackets add an effortless edge, inevitably softened by sets of sensual pencil skirts and sleek knit underpinnings. Chic topcoats conceal midi jersey frocks, swatches of material revealed in cutouts at the shoulders and hips, while cinched vinyl jackets embolden a hyper-feminine allure. A moody palette is grounded in black and coffee brown, with rich merlot tones supplying a contrasting warmth and intensity.