Miuccia Prada puts on stylishly schizophrenic show in Milan with a collection among her most seductive in seasons
Miuccia Prada is well known for taking the ordinary and making it remarkable. For autumn 2016, she took a walk down to the town square, examined the women who wandered through it and came up with a collection that was among her most seductive in seasons.
Granted, a sailor's hat might not be on anyone’s wish list for autumn, but making the fashion world fall in love with items it never knew it wanted has long been Prada’s trump card.
Along with plunging brocade dresses, embroidered velvet skirts and cotton corsets presented layered over coats, the hats lent the collection a playful, coquettish feel. But as is always the case with Prada, this was far from one dimensional.
“I was thinking about the history of women and the roles they play, and about pieces in different dramas”, said Prada after the show, adding that she had wanted to create a collage with this collection.
“I thought about women when they are beautiful, women when they are horrible and then put it all together. I think it's helpful to do that.”
The show, which saw the designer return to a set which served as the backdrop for her most recent menswear offering, played out on a medieval town square, constructed from plywood.
Models including Edie Campbell and Stella Tennant played the role of vagabonds in this piece and stalked the catwalk in peasant corsets, luxurious furs and shearling hoods.
“Each piece is a symbol of some kind of a woman” said Prada.
For Prada customers next season, it is the dresses and coats in this collection that are likely to inspire the most interest.
In a host of textiles from brocade to mink to a clever lived-in leather, widely cut trenches and military overcoats provided the Prada woman with a tough, menacing demeanour while quilted anoraks confirmed the idea that this was a collection for which Prada had looked to women through history for inspiration.
Dresses, a key player in the brand’s retail offering, were equally sublime with one velvet sheath, embroidered with a gold floral motif, among the most beautiful items unveiled on the catwalk last night.
Being Prada dresses, these were far from your average: voluminous sleeves that evoked sweetie wrappers ensured there was much for fashion forward customers to delight in. Prada's careful attention to fit ensured that these dresses had the potential to woo a woman looking to showcase her waistline.
The trickier pieces included nylon jackets, worn with shirts hosting clashing floral motifs. Corsets, often presented over the top of coats and dresses, ensured the female form was celebrated throughout.
When it came to accessories, Prada went all out to complete her college of ideas. Notably by looking into her archive. Signature Prada sandals in red velvet were presented alongside thick tights detailed with a diamond motif, while miniature Prada tote bags were recast as keyrings and worn on belts.
Knitted gloves in grey and claret and belts embedded with 3d metal roses confirmed that there was endless retail opportunities here.
This collection was stylishly schizophrenic, remarkably so.
ArticleMiuccia Prada puts on stylishly schizophrenic show in MilanMilan Fashion WeekMiuccia PradaPradaThe showcase saw Prada return to a set which served as the backdrop for her most recent menswear offering
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