Milan Fashion Week: Prada

Before Miuccia Prada took over her grandfather’s luxury leather goods company, she earned a PhD in political science. This biographical tidbit informs Prada’s Fall 2006 collection: the models walked briskly down the runway with books in hand, unfinished hair, and makeup that made them resemble the walking dead – all evoking the image of a purposeful student rushing to class after pulling an all-nighter writing the eigthteenth chapter of her dissertation.

The look was composed of an unfussy monochromatic palette and baggy clothing, fitting the needs of the serious grad student who refuses having to be bothered with coordinating her wardrobe (because she has other things on her mind), and who demands comfortable, easy to wear clothing (but whose stylistic refinement wholly rejects sweatpants).

Collection Highlights

The bubbled jackets and skirts creates a voluminous form that presents the impression that the look is intentionally unkempt rather than unintentionally frumpy. Cinched waists (such a fall runway cliché by now) further indicate that the wearer is deliberate in creating a polished style.

One of the most interesting features of the collection were the belts that held jackets at the waist. This reinterprets the era (circa 1990) when tying a sweatshirt or jacket around your hips was acceptable by bestowing the bygone look with a posh panache. Layering corsets over clothing indicates that being a serious thinker doesn’t preclude sex appeal, but actually exposes it.

The only prints in Prada’s collection were animal prints – Miuccia couldn’t resist.

While the designs were a successful execution of the collection’s concept, their wearability is another issue altogether. Prada’s customers probably want something more sleek and graceful. There is a definite rumpled presence in the collection, which loses its meaning when separated from the runway. The outfits may actually look more flattering on regular body types, as the bulkiness of some pieces overpowered the thin frames of the models.

-Ali

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