For the first time, Prada simultaneously showed women’s pre-fall, which was cut from the same fabrics and reinforced the 'Brady Bunch' vibe. Like any Prada presentation, the setting here was a statement making collage composed of mixed media from large screen installations to a printed runway illustrated to denote the political, cultural, environmental and economic climates of the decade past. Thankfully though, the nostalgia ended there.
Miuccia Prada’s most commercially balanced men’s collection in years veered between tasteful basics and revisited Seventies tackiness. The first look -a 3-button camel blazer in a double-faced fabric, worn with black flares- hits the golden ratio. It was retro yet subdued and urbane all at the same time. "There's everything conceivable around us, and I thought the coolest thing would be to do something normal", said Prada. "My intention was to work on nothingness, on banality". A quartet of shrunken -and awkwardly geekish- sweaters, layered under suits, heralded the arrival of color : lemon, watermelon, orchid, lapis. Leaving much of those arty 'Prada-isms' behind, the range moved on to offer a serious assortment of outerwear options that each had their own distinctive flair. They came in lean mod shapes from rubberized black peacoats to double-necked toppers and parkas with updated camo prints. Raincoats and skater jackets came in blaring camouflage and other loud patterns. And then the hues and patterns began clashing in earnest. The deliberate bad taste looked aggressively young rather than garish. If it was at all nostalgic, the proportions of Prada’s suits and coats, the flare of the trousers, the too-long sleeves and shrunken scoop-neck sweaters brought to mind a boy who is too big for some of his Sunday clothes and not yet grown into others. By the last looks, which looked like vinyl, Miuccia Prada had put the fun and brightness back in fashion. Gray is but a memory now. Banal, she said ? Yes, definitely banal. Too bad.
Miuccia Prada’s most commercially balanced men’s collection in years veered between tasteful basics and revisited Seventies tackiness. The first look -a 3-button camel blazer in a double-faced fabric, worn with black flares- hits the golden ratio. It was retro yet subdued and urbane all at the same time. "There's everything conceivable around us, and I thought the coolest thing would be to do something normal", said Prada. "My intention was to work on nothingness, on banality". A quartet of shrunken -and awkwardly geekish- sweaters, layered under suits, heralded the arrival of color : lemon, watermelon, orchid, lapis. Leaving much of those arty 'Prada-isms' behind, the range moved on to offer a serious assortment of outerwear options that each had their own distinctive flair. They came in lean mod shapes from rubberized black peacoats to double-necked toppers and parkas with updated camo prints. Raincoats and skater jackets came in blaring camouflage and other loud patterns. And then the hues and patterns began clashing in earnest. The deliberate bad taste looked aggressively young rather than garish. If it was at all nostalgic, the proportions of Prada’s suits and coats, the flare of the trousers, the too-long sleeves and shrunken scoop-neck sweaters brought to mind a boy who is too big for some of his Sunday clothes and not yet grown into others. By the last looks, which looked like vinyl, Miuccia Prada had put the fun and brightness back in fashion. Gray is but a memory now. Banal, she said ? Yes, definitely banal. Too bad.
