Every winter day offers an opportunity to experiment with layers. There is an art to piling on jackets, sweaters, tees, and scarves with ease, but it can feel almost like a science. For example, ahead of a long, toasty subway ride, it’s often more practical to opt for two lighter layers beneath a coat rather than one heavy sweater—and the same goes during fashion week, where temperatures fluctuate from show to show. (You may even break a sweat sprinting through Milan to catch the next runway.) Here, thoughtful layering becomes all the more essential.

Not so long ago, the prevailing wisdom in menswear circles suggested that excessive layering risked veering into Joey Tribbiani territory. But just last season, the likes of Issey Miyake and Loewe sent hyper-layered looks down the runway, and the outfits we’re seeing in Milan suggest that a broader shift may already be well underway. Hell, at the Armani show, Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams wore two jackets at once!

From maximalist outerwear to more minimalist feats (think collared shirts deftly layered under leather jackets and zippered hoodies), scroll on for more photographic evidence from Christina Fragkou, our photographer on the ground.