Diane von Furstenberg returned to the European market this week via a new partnership with Brama Group. To celebrate its strategic move into European growth and its founder’s deep connection to Italy, the brand on Monday hosted a luncheon at von Furstenburg’s home in Venice for the group’s clients before opening up to market appointments for the fall 2026 collection on Wednesday.
The collection, helmed by chief design officer Nathan Jenden, was aptly titled, “La Serenissima,” the historical name for Venice, which also means the most serene.
“Venice was always seen as being a woman, and our great leader is a woman. We leaned into the kind of idea of Venice — to evoke Venice rather than become too referential,” Jenden told WWD during a preview. “Having a little serenity and craziness right now is also a necessary thing.”
Jenden leaned into the canal city’s spirit — both seductive yet serene, mysterious yet romantic — by adding new depth and dimension to his easy-to-wear, layered looks. For instance, new tapestry prints were rendered on a handkerchief-hem chiffon skirt worn with a reversible double-face wool knit coat. This duality continued with plush, reversible faux fur toppers and a pretty two-fer dress made up of a layered slipdress beneath an embellished hand-beaded and printed tulle frock, to name a few.
The chief design officer’s emphasis on ease for spring continued through every look in fall, with pull-on, mix-and-match layers ranging from a hand-painted and printed buffalo plaid skirt in stretch sequin, paired with an abstracted argyle check sweater, to new takes on the signature wrap and shirtdresses, here in stretch suede, boiled merino wool, corduroy jersey and more.
Jenden’s mix of unexpected color pairings and redesigned prints, like a snake print brought back from the archive, nicely translated the brand’s hallmarks to today through his mix of grounded outerwear, including the reintroduction of leather (cut into a bestselling bomber), with softer, feminine layers.