Show Notes: Prada Explores Its Fundamental Prada-isms For Fall/Winter '22
Lovers, obsessives and fans of old-school '90s Prada – you're in luck. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are going back to the house's roots.
By Gordon Ng,
It's back to basics this Fall/Winter 2022 season for Prada. But what basic really means is the fundamentals of Prada style. Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons seemed to look toward the house's design language from the '90s. Tellingly, the show was titled "An Ideology of Prada" – rather like a creative manifesto.
That meant a revisit of Prada hallmarks, like sensual (and even erotic) sheerness, plush mixes of materials, and geometric prints. There was a vibe too of the '90s when Prada cemented itself as a uniform of sorts for fashion connoisseurs. The official show notes hint at this as well, describing the collection as a commemoration of "life and living" and of "the occasion of the everyday".
Below, some takeaway notes from Prada's Fall/Winter '22 show.
The buzziest moment of Prada's Fall/Winter '22 show happened at the end. And it's as good a place to start as any. Euphoria star Hunter Schafer's closing look succinctly captured some of this collection's strongest ideas. The humble tank top, for example, looks set to be a key wardrobe staple for the coming season. As are streamlined silhouettes and combinations of sheer, matte and metallic materials.
While the brand hasn't overtly said it, it seems like Prada is trying to narrow the gap between its men's and women's collections. These puffy, glossy leather coats, for example, were a key element of the Fall/Winter '22 men's collection shown just about a month earlier. (The one with Jeff Goldblum walking a deliriously campy strut, in case you forgot.) Here, the cut is just ever so slightly leaner, though the linebacker shoulders and the assertive effect of the silhouette is entirely consistent.
This season's shows in Milan have it: suits and tailoring are back in force. Designers are offering plenty of new takes – what can a suit look like when it's relaxed, dressy, traditional, experimental, etc. Prada, on their part, have a refreshingly clear-cut proposition. Business on top (boxy, wide lapels, traditional wools, strictly shaped) and pleasure on the bottom (shiny, diaphanous skirts). No need to try and soften the transition – the contrast is the point.
In a collection that's all about Prada-isms, it would be impossible not to mention the brand's beloved prints. Prada and Simons continued to mine the house's archives and rejigged some classics, like the geometric hexagons from Fall/Winter '12 and the Formica tile-inspired squares of Spring/Summer '96.
When it was first announced that Prada would be co-designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, there were plenty of questions about how much of each designer's voice would be heard in their collections. One way it seems they've gone about it is the consistent inclusion of oversized bomber jackets – ostensibly a Simons signature. In past seasons, they've been cut from shiny, crinkly leather. Back in nylon this time, the season's twists include appliques and embroidered feathers.