When the schedule for the menswear shows of Milan’s FW25 edition was released it was a huge surprise to see that many of the city’s most important houses, including Gucci, Fendi and Loewe, had decided to skip the season. For Gucci and Fendi, they’ll be rolling menswear into their usual womenswear presentations at the end of February. For Loewe, there’s no official reason behind their absence. But what this unusually truncated four-day edition of Milan Men’s meant was that many smaller brands were allowed some time in the spotlight usually reserved for the big boys.

If there was one major unifying theme for Milan Men’s this season, it was seduction. “Unpremeditated contrasts result in unexpected and seductive combinations,” was the key to Prada’s brilliantly mismatched collection which saw floral cowboy boots meeting golfing tartan in a push-back against clean styling. Emporio Armani turned the seduction up, focusing the collection on places of seduction — “a club, a lounge or a conversation circle where time seems to slow.” As always, it was a bravura collection of lush velvet tailoring, defined blazers, and wonderfully worn-in leather jackets.

MSGM enlisted the help of the cult provocateur Bruce LaBruce to shoot their FW25 collection. Standing amongst giant mushrooms, the models seduced LaBruce’s camera in a collection that featured plenty of leather and the shortest of shorts. Many of the boys sat legs apart, their hands drawing you towards you-know-where, as they brooded into the lens. The collection, titled Follow the Rabbit, had a trippy Alice in Wonderland theme to it, but it also made reference to some other cinematic bunnies, such as in Donnie Darko and Gummo.

Magliano brought us to the Adriatic coast, “the ideal place for a romantic excess, extraordinary yet gratuitous.” In Luca Magliano’s typical way, the clothing was sexy and salacious, inspired by the “violent minute” during which the course of things can become entirely overturned. Full outfits suddenly finding themselves thrown to the bedroom floor.

And, of course, how could anyone forget JordanLuca’s wedding? The designer duo tied the knot at the end of their runway show in front of their family, friends and the international fashion press. Milan, consider us seduced.