September 22, 2023 |
It was a powerhouse Prada show. Everything you want from the brand and more. Emma Watson, Kylie Jenner and Rosalia in the front row, slime oozing from the ceiling in an echo of the men’s show, and the design collaboration between Raf Simons and Mrs Prada on fire.
The first look, a wide shouldered masculine jacket tucked into tiny tailored high-waisted shorts, signalled the keenness of Prada’s high-fashion attitude – where silhouette is king and details count. It was immediately followed by a gauzy pastel shift, so light that its trailing, fluttering scarf detail seemed to float down the catwalk after the model.
“We did not want to philosophise to propose stories about clothes. For this collection we wanted to focus on the work, the methods and techniques, the value, explained Mrs Prada. The collection, she said, was about the culture surrounding clothes. “Culture. Knowing, giving value to the work, tradition” she explained. Her co-designer, Raf Simons agreed: “Craft isn’t something that gets talked about a lot at Prada, at least not as much as at other houses. We wanted to show what we could do.”
And what Prada can do is impressive, surprising and innovative, distinctive and very desirable. They printed fine fringing with floral motifs that moved and shifted on the body and crafted skirts of metal chain that swung and swished over shorts. They lavished simple knits, shirts and dresses with swirling bursts of diamanté embroidery and studded crisp cotton shirts and panne velvet shifts with constellations of metal eyelets. Add satin stilettos and kitten heeled miles and you’re getting close to fashion heaven. Sturdy cotton utility jackets, worn over delicate sheer or fringed skirts brought things back to earth. Prada and Simons shared their bow with Fabio Zambernardi, the design director of Prada and Miu Miu, who has worked with Mrs Prada for over thirty years and is leaving the brand. The crowd gave this extraordinarily talented creative a rousing standing ovation. As Mrs Prada’s right hand for so long, the glory of the brand is his to share.
Photography courtesy of Prada.
