Five unexpected insider lessons from the menswear SS17 shows in Milan – from Prince’s secret songs to the chicest celebrity offspring.

The biannual menswear shows are somewhat like a Hercule Poirot mystery. Or perhaps a BBC adaptation thereof. What we’re getting at here is that the insights come in instalments, spread out over the course of several weeks, in as many different cities. Like the keen observer of Ms Agatha Christie’s Belgian stalwart, you don’t really know what’s been going on all the way through until you get to the finish line. Then, and only then, can you start to talk about “trends” – ie, what kind of trousers we’ll supposedly be stalking around in next year – in any definitive way. However, that’s not to say that, in the midst of it all, our brains aren’t completely on autopilot. No, in fact, the incredibly curious experience of the runway show is often capable of delivering some unexpected lessons. Here are some of the key ones from Milan:

Mr Devendra Banhart: 35-year-old Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter known for his quirky, lo-fi folk music. Missoni: 63-year-old Italian company known for its colourful knitwear. Apparently, they get along swimmingly. Who knew? Now though, everyone is in on the secret, thanks to Mr Banhart’s efforts on Snapchat backstage at the Missoni SS17 show. Mr Banhart, as it turns out, is quite the Snapchat wizard – a fact he revealed in the dozens of snaps he posted in the lead-up to show, featuring various members of the Missoni family and show crew. Kudos to him for keeping it interesting, and kudos to Missoni for the idea – the off-the-cuff platform is a far better format for backstage coverage than all those endless dreary photos that get rolled out each season. Of course, extra points have to go to Mr Banhart for his head-to-toe Missoni outfit, and the fact that he kept it on as he raced off on his scooter after the show.

There could be only one winner in Milan as far as show music went: Versace. In a fitting tribute to the untimely death of musical legend and longtime Versace fan Prince in April, Ms Donatella Versace decided to show her new collection to a soundtrack entirely composed of the late singer’s songs. Most were remixed in some way (notably, with Prince himself squealing “Versace” over the top). Some had never been heard before at all, which was pretty impressive. Of course, Prince soundtracked a Versace show previously, issuing the epic mixtape “The Versace Experience” at the brand’s Paris presentation in 1995. But this music, unbelievably, was genuinely new – apparently the singer has often shared such tracks with Ms Versace over the years. These ones in particular, Ms Versace told The New York Times, were sent “five months ago”. To accompany the music, she dressed in a purple suit with ruffled shirt to take her bow – an unexpectedly heartwarming moment in the midst of all the ticket-waving and franticly clicking street-style photographers.

In his work both for his eponymous label and for Moncler Gamme Bleu, New York designer Mr Thom Browne has long been investigating the format of the runway show, looking for various ways to add a bit of drama and audience participation into the proceedings. And for this season’s Moncler Gamme Bleu show, this meant bears. Or at least, two people dressed like them. These mascot-like figures were the ringmasters of the Moncler show, unzipping each model from a sleeping bag before prodding them out to take a turn around the runway (they climbed into individual tents at the end). A gimmick? Yes. But nonetheless, the bears had it locked down, completing their weird task with machine-like efficiency. If only we could get help like that at MR PORTER.

Milan is not generally considered to be a wonderful tourist destination. At least in comparison to Florence, with its frescoes and stripy churches, or Rome, with its fountains and steps and ancient architecture. But there are many semi-secret corners of the city that have their own, rather awe-inspiring grandeur. Palazzo Archinto, where Boglioli hosted its SS17 show, is just one of these. Originally built as a private home in the 18th century, it was almost completely destroyed by bombs in August 1943 before being rebuilt in its current form. Today, it houses the archives for the IPAB, an Italian non-profit organisation, which means it’s not generally open to the public, and has a wonderfully private, unspoiled feel to it. The way Boglioli set up its runway, guests had to walk through the Palazzo’s lengthy corridors before reaching their seats, with the effect of making everything feel impeccably elegant, even before all the clothes came out. Of course, gawping at mosaic floors and antique Italian furniture is not the reason you’re supposed to go to these things. But the ability to do so is a nice added bonus.

As if it weren’t enough to festoon the runway with giant, Hollywood Regency-style palm-tree lamps and install an eight-piece swing band at the end of it, Messrs Dolce & Gabbana also stuffed their SS17 show full of the brightest of the bright young things. By which we mean, the children of famous people. Who knew there were so many available for these kind of things? The show itself was opened up by Mr Presley Walker Gerber (the son of Ms Cindy Crawford) and Mr Rafferty Law (the son of Mr Jude Law). But then there was the front row, composed of (deep breath): Mr Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis (the son of Mr Daniel Day-Lewis), Mr Brandon Thomas Lee (the son of Ms Pamela Anderson), Mr Lucas Jagger (the son of Mr Mick Jagger) and Mr Cameron Dallas (the son of Vine. We think). Which obviously made everyone feel a wonderful combination of ancient and, also, not-famous.