Dear Shaded Viewers,
It’s been a while since a Prada show left me this happy. No gimmicks and no concept just beautiful, creative clothes. For me it’s the best collection Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have given us in years.
The skirt ran the show. It was almost always knee-length and cut with an intelligence that rewards a second look. There was a sharp red pencil skirt slit high, with a flash of black panel in the opening. A white wrap had a single stripe of acid lime, as precise as a Mondrian. Pleated skirts in pink and yellow were washed in soft ombré, so the colour seemed to move as the girls walked. A crimson satin skirt had a spine of sculpted ruffles running down the front. One sheer black overlay floated above a blue floral slip with a ruffled hem, and a mint-green wrap slid open to show black beading. Then came the showstopper, a skirt thick with jewelled flowers that caught the light at every step.
On top, the styling was deliberately low-key: a chunky brown hand-knit, an oversized grey tee, a black turtleneck under a cropped white bustier, and loose nylon trenches in black and bottle green thrown over bare midriffs. That is Prada at its best, pairing the everyday with the precious until the two can’t be told apart. The accessories were just as witty. There were futuristic shield sunglasses, croc bags in cobalt, tan and gold, and little satin rosettes clipped to the body like corsages.
Then there were the bra tops: black lace, teal satin, and a sculptural grey bandeau that ran straight into the sleeves. They were exquisite, though let’s be honest, they call for a pretty flat chest. That is the one caveat in an otherwise irresistible proposal.
What moved me most was the confidence. Nothing was shouting, and the clothes had the calm assurance of designers who know exactly what they want to say. This was modern, feminine and wearable, and it was still unmistakably Prada. Bravo.
Later,
Diane
