September 23, 2026 |
Skirts, skirts and more skirts. It’s not often a fashion message is delivered so emphatically but Raf Simons and Mrs Prada left their audience in no doubt. The skirt rules for SS27.
Skirts are an integral part of Mrs Prada’s personal wardrobe, which, in turn, provides the source code of the house. Versatile, feminine but able to carry meaning, Prada once said: “the skirt for me is like a T-shirt.”
The ladylike Fifties and Sixties styles beloved of Miuccia are symbols of feminine convention but become subverted in the Prada-verse. The look: A-line wrap skirts decorated with a graphic strip of hand-beaded Velcro. Pair it with a minuscule bra top and banana heeled court shoe and the look becomes provocative. That’s just the kind of contradiction Prada thrives on.
The laser focus on skirts spawned a surprising variety of takes, designed to appeal to every kind of woman in the Prada-verse. (Someone described it as “Prada-ing hard”). Every mood was catered for. This was Prada in crowd pleasing mode and you could almost hear the tills ringing as each look paraded past. They came in matt blue latex, vivid pink techno pleats, painterly prints and swirly checks that echoed the famous 1990s ugly chic collections.
Leather pencil skirts were worn over long shirt-dresses, tucked into thick slouchy jumpers, and under battered leather coats. Joyful party skirts were encrusted with colourful beads and worn, like many looks on the collection, with a tiny bra top. Prada’s take on the skirt suit adopted a rockabilly sensibility with pleated distressed leather skirts worn with matching heavy duty biker jacket.
For bags the message was just as laser focused. Boxy oblong shapes with long top handles, came in leather satin, snake and croc. The message? Focus unlocks endless possibilities.
Photography courtesy of Prada.
