Italian fashion house Prada’s first fashion show dedicated to its cruise collection offers a glimpse into contrasting ideas and extreme sides of femininity, resulting in a collection that everyone admires.
STORY
TAWAN KONKAEW
PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY OF BRANDS
The youngest granddaughter of Mario Prada, Miuccia Prada took over the family-owned luxury goods manufacturer in 1978.
It was Miuccia who first dazzled the fashion world with a series of black nylon handbags and backpacks, a daring move in the luxury leather industry at the time. This move brought success and fame to the brand. In 1989, she unveiled Prada’s first ready-to-wear collection, and in 1992, she launched a new line of clothing called the Miu Miu Collection, named after Miuccia herself. In 1995, she launched her first menswear line. Today, the Prada empire has everything for fashion lovers — menswear, womenswear, leather goods, shoes, travel bags, eyewear, timepieces, fragrances, and even phone cases. This reflects Miuccia’s excellence in design and business.
This Resort Collection fashion show was the brand’s first. Usually, Prada only had two fashion shows a year — Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. This new direction attracted a lot of attention, as people anticipated what the first Resort Collection fashion show by Prada would look like.
This Resort Collection fashion show was the brand’s first. Usually, Prada only had two fashion shows a year
Miuccia’s design always brings contrasting elements together in a unique way
The show took place at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a shopping arcade built in 1877. Inside the Milan Osservatorio, the exhibition space extends across the building’s upper levels adjacent to the glass and iron dome. There was only one row of seats for super VIP guests, a few hundred only, who had flown in from around the world for this show.
As Prada fans would expect, Miuccia’s design always brings contrasting elements together in a unique way — suede with plastic, or faux fur with silk satin. In this collection, Prada mixes sportswear with ultra feminine pieces like tight dresses, pencil skirts and slim-fit coats in girly hues like lilac, apricot, pink and grey. Sporty high socks (with art deco motifs) are worn with high heels or sneakers decorated with sequins. Ruffle-bibbed blouses and tightly pleated skirts were cut from an organza-like transparent Japanese fabric, with a plastic badge featuring the brand’s logo to tone down the sweetness.
Another impressive scene was the first show on the runway. Miuccia presented nylon, the material which transformed her life, in an oversized sporty jacket with open shoulders to reveal a feminine side. The jacket was paired with a chiffon skirt. In other looks, long-sleeve knitted top, as tight as swimwear, was worn with a pencil skirt in the same material. Art deco accessories spiced up the look, from feather headbands in sweet colours to dangling necklaces and sparkly gold bracelets. These looks are a testament of Miuccia’s clever use of contrasting elements.
As per the Italian brand’s tradition, in each collection it would partner with an artist for a special design. In this collection, Prada invited James Jean to showcase playful motifs of rabbits and lilies in pastel pink and ivory, as seen on the Bauletto tote. These motifs also appear on many RTW pieces, bags, briefcases, square handbags, and long wallets.
Footwear is equally interesting, with a light blue logo on a bow decorating the pointy-toe heels. Glamourous and comfortable, Prada shoes are always worth the investment.
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