How Prada designers took “mis-ironed” clothes to a new level

Milan Fashion Week continues at full speed. Only today famous brands such as Max Mara, Dsquared2, MM6 Maison Margiela were shown, and in the evening we will see the creations of designers Emporio Armani, Moschino, Blumarine and BOSS. One of the headlines of the event was, of course, the Italian brand Prada. And this show (for set design, at least) we’ll remember for many more months in a good word.

Three great masters came together to create the 2023 spring-summer show: Miuccia Prada, Raf Simons, whom we know from the movies Drive and Neon Demon, and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. Fashion House designers have always focused on the show’s offbeat ideas and engaging set design – and this season the main focus has been on the concept of home voyeurism (peeking – Approx. ed.) codenamed “Touch of Rudeness”.

Nicolas Winding Refn has struck the delicate balance between crime thriller and art house with his unique style. The guests of the show seemed to be inside a big, dark house, and the light was “coming” only from the podium, clearly visible from above through the lamps and neon windows on the walls of the building – a kind of metaphor and artificiality to oppose reality.

And, of course, about the collection itself. The fact that Raf Simons would join Prada as the second creative director became known in February 2020. No matter what fashion position the designer was in, she always carried her rebellious silhouettes to the clothes of brands – it was she who portrayed the once rather conservative Jil Sander, creating a new image for them, but at the same time not changing the philosophy. of your brand. Falling into the warm hands of Miuccia Prada, Raf continued to bend her line and began to find the fifth corner in tight classic silhouettes. At first glance, House’s spring-summer collection seems very boring. But look closely, and we see a masterful play with the fabrics’ deliberate imperfections and details, which Simons has revealed even from a previously unknown side.

From the effect of wrinkled fabrics on jackets, as if not ironed properly, to sheer shining fabrics on tight skirts, the design duo again offered fashion solutions that were not boring. For example, the last example was actively followed by the designers of New York Fashion Week, but Prada found a more creative answer. In addition, long jackets and dresses with a bow with a long ribbon at the back attracted attention – an unusual solution for quite traditional things.

The predominantly muted color palette of the collection was diluted with bright bags or strappy shoes. A clear emphasis was also seen on many brooches in the form of flowers, which were decorated not only with dresses, but also with accessories. And not to mention the show’s main beauty trick – extra-long false eyelashes. It’s a direct hit on the overall concept of the forensic science and art house neighborhood as a clear confirmation that any designer’s true strength lies in the details.